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Yu-gi-oh 5Ds: Rise of Darkness and Corruption (Athene/ImaginaryMuse & Razgriz)


Takeshi just nodded, his body "Fine, fine...I'll tell him, I swear. Last thing I need is that sword anywhere near me!" Now he was glad more than ever that Hotsuma was on their side; he knew Hotsuma had some kind of ability and the guy even mentioned as such...But was this it? Turning into an armored demon of some kind? The guy was shrugging off bullets as if they were flies, the officers that didn't get hacked down finally having the sense to run.

Unfortunately...While the first wave may have been beaten back, this base was no longer viable. Thankfully, as Hotsuma would attest, there was a reason he had been gone. Well, multiple reasons, but one of them would be something he was sure Yuna would be fond of.

And soon enough, Takeshi jumped back as a fist punched through the racket-y metal slab, loud shearing noises busting through the air as the corrugated door was pulled off its track and thrown casually aside. Hotsuma's eyes peered into the base itself as the mid-morning sun beat down upon them, the clouds finally having parted to let the rays of light pass down through the smoke-filled air of the Satellite. And in a few moments, Hotsuma's form shrank as he returned to his normal self in his normal clothes. Giving a sigh of relief, he then said "Well...That's a fine sight to come back to. Leave for a day and our base gets raided...Or nearly, as the case may be."

Takeshi still quivered a bit, reeling over the revelation as Hotsuma would turn to peer at him, "Oi...Get a grip, Takeshi." The poor guy could barely speak, finally able to say "Get a grip? The hell you on about? You just TRANSFORMED AND DID THAT, HOW CAN I BE CALM?!" Hotsuma just smirked, "I get it...But trust me, it's not for you, so you don't have to worry...".

"Easy for you to say...You're not the one who has to say that Yamichi and Eikichi went to Arcadia..." Takeshi thought to himself, Hotsuma pausing as he heard that little tidbit. His fists clenching as he stared right at his number three, "Takeshi...What the hell do you mean Yamichi and Eikichi went to Arcadia?" Takeshi groaned, cursing himself as he remembered Hotsuma could hear thoughts. "Yamichi...He wanted to try and get Hajime out, and he must have met Eikichi while he was leaving...They left last night...Hotsuma, I swear I tried to stop him, I swear I did!" This did little to quell his boss's anger, Hotsuma grabbing Takeshi by the lapels and literally hoisting him off the ground.

"I don't care if you had to tie him down until I got back; they have no clue what that place is like! What their leader is capable of and what he'll do! They're no match for Divine...Or Aki for that matter!" Hotsuma growled, his teeth clenching as a multitude of unpleasant likelihoods ran through his head. Takeshi whimpering "I know, I know! But you didn't see Yamichi's face...He felt guilty, Hotsuma! And I figured with someone strong like Eikichi with him, they wouldn't have a problem!" Hotsuma snarled a bit, but finally dropped Takeshi to let him land on his ass.

"Just be lucky you actually manned up and told me the truth...Much as I want to knock out your teeth, you also stayed behind and helped Yuna. So...Ugh, thanks, Takeshi." Hotsuma finally relented, punching his open hand with his own fist in frustration. Takeshi brushed himself off as he stood back up, "I wouldn't abandon anyone if I could help it, Hotsuma...You know this." Takeshi replied, Hotsuma sighing "I know, man, I know...Just picked a really bad time for all this shit to happen". First his brother...Now this. "Just fucking perfect...Goodwin, if I ever see you again I'm going to throw you off your high horse and laugh when you break on the ground." he groaned in his mind; taking a deep breath, he then seemed to relax a little, "Yuna...For the record, I really did just need some time...But I wasn't out and about doing fuck all. I actually have a plan, in case we did get discovered. And you might think me batshit crazy...But with our advantages now, and some forefront on my part, I know this will work."

At this Hotsuma laughed, "But...With Sector in disarray, I have a bit of a plan in mind. I know we both promised never to go back to the Facility; then again, with how we broke it like an egg, what if we really twisted the knife in Goodwin's side? Turned that giant little haven into our own? It's prime real estate after all; we won't have to worry about space anymore. And power won't be an issue either; it's got one of those super high-end generator arrays. The only hiccup is that we may have to clear out some last remnants of Sector garbage; seems like they led a huge force to take it back and drove everyone but their own out. Stupid fucks are trying to rebuild it, so we might have to get a little rough...Buuut I don't think that will be an issue, seeing as you're geared for war."

"Dude...You just got out, and now you want to go back?! The fuck, man, you're insane!" Takeshi shouted, Hotsuma laughing "Hey...We got out, right? And besides...They're going to have two very powerful, very pissed off leaders gunning for them. One doing so quite literally." Taking a moment to look down at his right arm - something he didn't tell Yuna yet that he had also found out about himself - he just grinned. "And besides...That transformation isn't the only trick up my sleeve."
 

"Unfortunately, it's bad enough that we're gonna have to leave."

Now that the gun shots had died down and the officers left - at least for the time being - Yuna switched the safety back on and slid her pistol back into the rear pocket. "Hmmm. Not today, obviously. But eventually, we should see about transferring clothes and shit to ... wherever we go."

The abrupt appearance, unfortunately, made it borderline impossible. For all Yuna knew, reinforcements - an even larger amount - may try to come back here anyway. Her head turned as a new thought on something that could be taken entered her mind.

But ... it waited. Poor Takeshi forgot about the telepathy, which made her hide a chuckle.

... Good. At least in seeing him keep to his word, anyway.

Alas, he kinda did deserve the semi-rough treatment. ... Scratch that. Not kinda, he definitely did. But all things considered, he was getting more mercy than even Yuna would have given.

Before speaking, though, Yuna would wrap her arms tightly around Hotsuma .... not seeming to care enough Takeshi was behind her. "Mmmm ... between not being overly coherent when we got out or too busy, I have missed this. Now then ... "

Although she stayed in the embrace, the next words would be directed right at Takeshi.

"When Judai visited me in the Facility, he said Yamichi won a tournament, yes? Was he paid in cash or no? I know it's not likely ... but some people are crazy enough. Either way ... I doubt he'd mind if we took at leas his wallet along and probably used some of the funds to help out."

Then Hotsuma revealed his next target location in mind ... and Yuna laughed softly.

"Yeah. Actually .... go get that. It'll definitely be needed. We're gonna have a shit load of redecorating to do when we get over. Oh! And - because I don't have my actual duel disk with me - inform everyone where to go!"

Yuna would wait for Takeshi to run off before giving the back of Hotsuma's head a smack.

"That's for running off without me. I get the loss was more personal for you. But, shit. I was hoping to get to know him too. Maybe not as much as you, but I hurt also. This ... "

The Yomi leaned forward, pressing her lips onto her lover's. She maintained the kiss for a good forty-five seconds before slowly pulling away. "Is because even though you drive me nuts sometimes, I have missed you. Welcome back."

Her head moved from side to side as she grinned. "No. Clearing out any Sectors who may still be there will definitely not be an issue. I've got at least four to six guns and a shit ton of bullets in an ammo pouch. I'm more than game to pull the trigger as many times as needed to secure a new place. I'll admit ... this is gonna be ironic as all fuck. We just broke out ... and yet, we're about to go back."

At least for a much better reason. Still, never did Yuna expect to return for any rhyme or reason. Ah well; best to do so with a more decent incentive than risk being incarcerated a second time.

A low, slightly annoyed groan passed her lips as she forced herself to finally move away from Hotsuma.

"We need to do some catching up on 'legitimate alone time' soon. One of these days, for sure. Until then .... let's at least get ready and grab a Wheeler from the garage, huh?"

Takeshi wouldn't likely be gone much longer ... hopefully not. They could leave pretty quickly after he returned; honestly, that'd be for the best. They were in a 'better safe than sorry' situation, after all.

Turning on her feet - feeling confident her partner would be close behind - Yuna began walking towards the garage.
 

Takeshi was more than a bit taken aback as Yuna up and hugged the guy; he knew they were close, but damn...She must have taken his absence harder than he thought. And when she asked to go get Yamichi's wallet, he just smiled and shook his head, "You two are made for each other, you know that? Freaking psychos...Glad you're on my side." Hotsuma just chuckled, "You too, my friend...Now go on, get the nerd's wallet and tell the others where we're headed. Give it about two hours before you head over though."

And once Takeshi did leave, his eyes widened as his lover pulled him down into a kiss...Not taking very long before giving in himself, hands coming to rest on her butt...And though he didn't want this to end, he knew they couldn't waste much more time. "Glad to be back...Still can't believe we're doing this, but then again, not surprised that we are. I still got some bloodlust to work off...And, I managed to find us some new friends. People that should help lighten the load."

Following behind her, he would hop on a Runner and start the engine. "Yuna...When we get there, I want you to promise me that you won't get too upset or freaked out, alright?" Honestly, it was something even he wasn't too easy with. But...The Emperor convinced him that this would be necessary if he wanted to build himself a stable foothold and give the people of the Satellite a true meaning of security. And he was being cryptic on purpose; even with everything that happened, he doubted she would believe him if he told her. Before he left though, he was sure to send a spark via a fuel trail that would cause former Yomi to ignite and erupt in a brilliant plume of smoke and flame. Setting the backdrop for the next stage of their adventure.

The drive to the point where they would launch their assault was uneventful, thankfully so. Things were going to get exciting enough as it was...Especially with the first of many surprises he planned to give to Yuna. "We're here..." Hotsuma muttered, taking off his helmet. They were behind some of the buildings surrounding the immediate perimeter to the Facility, and if one listened closely, they could hear officers shouting orders to secure areas, set up blockades and reinforce other zones. Good...They were still trying to get things locked down, which meant they were still soft.

Well...They were about to get a whole lot softer.

At this Hotsuma would give a whistle; at first there was nothing, but then all of a sudden a shadowy figure rose from the ground behind them, the cloak of darkness dispelled from its figure to reveal a very familiar figure. One Yuna had seen in Hotsuma's deck. "Now...Call the rest of your friends." Hotsuma then commanded, the demonic footsoldier nodding and giving off what sounded like a demented growl/warble, raising a fist to the heavens before it became engulfed in black light for a few moments before dissipating. What was one became four...Then a dozen...Then two, plumes of shadow rising and falling away to reveal a sizable force of roughly three dozen Demon Soldiers. What was even more eerie was how silent they were...Standing at perfect attention like well-trained hounds as they awaited their commands.

"Told you I was busy; let's just say I've changed the allegiances of some of Goodwin's finest." Hotsuma grinned confidently, adding to the troops, "Soldiers, what I ask of you is in service to me. To your Emperor. What he wants..What WE want..is this former prison under our control! And she!" the Disciples' leader then pointed to Yuna, "Is to not be harmed in any way! Protect her as you would me! And slaughter any who stand before us! HOWEVER...IF any of the enemy chooses to surrender, then restrain them!" A dark flame burst over Hotsuma as he would then willfully change into the Emperor himself, his arms spread wide as he then declared authoritatively, "So says I! Your Emperor! Your ruler! Your GOD!" And all at once, the troops raised their left hands up before slamming them down to cross over their muscular chests, giving a loud and demonic bark of approval three times.

"HARGH!"
"HARGH!"
"HARGH!"

Suffice to say, this made Sector patrols start to stir; Hotsuma could hear orders again. This time to investigate the noises coming from the eastern quadrant...Something that made Emperor!Hotsuma chuckle, "These idiots...Thinking they're ready. Let's how they like it when Hell stares right back at them. Soldiers! ATTACK! Seize their stronghold and put down any who resist!" And this one command opened the floodgate, all of the demonic troopers drawing their blades and charging, howling like mad dogs as Sector would see an assault force pour out to them. Laughing, Hotsuma then said, "Come on, Yuna; can't let those purple gremlins have all the fun!"
 

"Mmm, good." Noting Hotsuma fondling her ass, she leaned back into the touch, allowing him to enjoy and savor it just a bit more. "You're not alone; I do also. However, given my form changing seems to have ... consequences, I'll keep myself in my usual form. For now. Plus, most of the bloodlust is gonna be directed at Divine anyway."

By the time these revelations had finished up, she was -- for now -- done teasing her lover with her body, as well as the numerous, unspoken promises she was offering him for later.

Depending on how this overthrow of the Facility would go, Yuna envisioned herself being able to sneak over to the Tops as soon as this evening or within a few days. But that was the longest she'd wait. Poor Hajime - and now the others - had been more than patient enough as it was. Unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn't force them to keep suffering for much longer.

".... Ooookay. Is there a reason I even should do either of these?"

Well .... she'd find out, she supposed.

Although it made sense as to why he set the old base ablaze, she really had hoped to move some of the other belongings out. A tired sigh passed her lips as she glanced over to Hotsuma. " ... I suppose I should be glad it wasn't only my duel disk the Facility confiscated; otherwise I'd be much more annoyed with that."

Thankfully, Yuna had taken her wallet with her. As a habit, more than anything else. So at least that would be with her other confiscated stuff.

When Hotsuma turned and stopped at a completely different location - near the Facility but not quite into it - her head tilted as she curiously followed, removing her helmet.

"Why are we ... ??"

For a few seconds, she almost freaked out simply because it seemed like he could have alerted Sector. Her shock did show itself ..... albeit mixed with awe as numerous Demon Soldiers appeared.

"H-How did you ... ??"

She wasn't necessarily upset ... though a bit envious, yes. Making them manifest wasn't what confused her; doing so to this many was what baffled Yuna.

And then .... he shifted back. Another thing, admittedly, she lamented not being able to do. Not without consequences, anyway. Hence why she was saving her own change for later.

"So says I! Your Emperor! Your ruler! Your GOD!"

Yep; that was the Emperor alright. Which made his last statement more hopeful.

"Come on, Yuna; can't let those purple gremlins have all the fun!"

No 'wench' this time around. He'd actually called her just Yuna. Did this mean he finally had a better grasp of control over the Emperor?

All she could do was pray the once losing battle had taken a turn around as she smirked and pulled her gun back out. "Heh, indeed. I almost pity these fuckers .... almost. They're not gonna see what's hitting them."

Rather, by the time they saw, it would definitely not matter.

Deactivating the safety, Yuna would run out alongside her transformed lover. Thus, the first true and much more official war for today began with their plus all of the demon's arrival.
 

As the assault commenced, the response was swift and deadly...Or rather it would have been had these been ordinary Commoners attacking. As it was, the police officer's collective firepower hardly even slowed the attacking demonic monsters; those that did try were mercilessly cut down by their unholy blades, crimson streaking the ground and screams ringing out through the air.

Hotsuma moved much slower than his foot-troopers; needless to say, his soldiers and the fact that his armor was seemingly immune to conventional weaponry only served to hasten the fear and realization of their being overwhelmed. His minions weren't quick so lucky, resilient as they were; one had the misfortune to get pushed off the guard tower and land on its head, the neck snapping almost instantly and ending its life. Another fell after about ten officers focused their fire on it, but not before one swing cut down three of them.

As such, the younger officers and newer recruits were some of the first to throw down their weapons and either surrender or try to run. Those that ran were almost instantly set upon by the stampeding demons, swords leveled against their throats as they were forced to surrender. Hotsuma just laughed as he watched them be overrun, arms crossed over his chest as he locked onto what could only be the Chief Officer, dressed in full blues. And with his officers otherwise occupied, several demons already had him surrounded, swords drawn and the Chief standing there defiantly with his service revolver in hand. But with how the barrel was smoking, it was clear he'd run out of shots...Which meant he was easy pickings.

"Fuck off back to whatever pit you crawled out of, you freaks! My underlings might tuck tail, but I'd rather die than surrender to you scum!" he shouted, one of the demons coming forward to deliver that very request. "Hold on, my loyal soldier...Let me have a word with him." Emperor!Hotsuma requested coldly, the demon soldier staring at him for a few seconds before lowering his blade and obediently standing aside. Even as the battle raged on, the air between the Chief and the Emperor seemed almost calm...Almost.

"Well now...Hmm, I'm going to guess you're one of the Chiefs, yes?" was the question asked, the officer retorting "Hmph...You think you've won? So long as Sector remains, we'll oppose you! You might beat us here, but there are others! Our Director will find a way to destroy you, and any who dare try to threaten the peace!" Emperor!Hotsuma said nothing back at first, before long a loud harsh laugh leaving him before he would finally state, "You already threatened the peace long ago...But since you amused me so much with your defiance, allow me to reward you!"

The Chief would then feel himself be grabbed roughly by the scruff of his neck, hoisted high up. "Oi, Yuna...When you got a sec, come look who I found! I got me a Chief! What should we do with him?" Emperor!Hotsuma asked his partner, the Chief sneering "Do your worst, you bottomfeeders! Kill me if you must, but just now that a thousand more will rise to take my place!" The transformed leader just shook his head, "I could kill you...Be real easy. Buuuuuut...I got another idea in mind. You're wondering how I got those demons to come out, right? Why they follow me? Well...I can show you if you like...What do you say, Yuna?"


Takeshi finally made it to the power station where all the people and their stuff had been taken; needless to say, it was cramped as all fuck...But if this worked, then they wouldn't have to worry about being safe anymore. They'd have the most secure spot in all of Satellite as their hide-out....And with what he'd seen Hotsuma and Yuna do, there was no doubt they could hold it.

"So...That's the story, Shivini, Judai. Hotsuma and Yuna are going to try and take the Facility, make it the new Yomi. Heard it from the big guy himself!" Takeshi laughed, adding "Can you believe those two? I swear, I wonder somedays if they were just born crazy or if the Satellite made them this way." Judai shook his head, "They're very driven, that much I can say for sure...But I thought you were a goner when Yuna got her hands on you, Takeshi." The brown-haired Disciple just rubbed the back of his neck, "Wasn't worse than when I had to let Hotsuma know; he and Yamichi have been friends and allies for longer than anyone in our group. Needless to say, I got off easy...I think you'll like meeting him, Judai." "Provided he doesn't go full demon the moment you lay eyes on him." he would add as a mental afterthought.

Shaking his head, "Anyway...According to what Hotsuma said, should only be another hour...Then we can start making our way over there; we'll need to be careful though. This station might be in 'neutral ground' but it's still a long trek back to the Facility...Judai, Shivini, I'm going to need your help to make sure everyone is accounted for before we leave." Judai could only nod and give a thumbs-up, "Gotcha! You can count on me!"
 

To say Yuna was pleased with the outcome would be an understatement. She really had gotten more dressed and ready for her trip back to Arcadia. As such, the desire and will to use too may bullets was something she wanted to avoid. Lo and behold, these extra demons not only gave their vow to protect her, but ensure she did just that. Yuna found she only needed to fire enough times to refill her first gun with bullets once. Considering she half-expected to use more, this ability was quite the curious blessing. Glancing around to survey the scenes of this somewhat short but victorious war, Yuna mentally noted the losses. It was far worse for Sector than any of the demons Hotsuma had summoned. Good; those hat had survived could very likely help man the fort while she was out freeing her men plus Yamichi.

"Yes, because Sector's done sooooooooooo much good," Yuna quipped, rolling her eyes as she caught wind of the Sector chief officer vowing vengeance against her and her lover. "Hmph. Don't fuck around with us. Sector may never truly cease to exist, but it sure as fuck has drastically weakened. If Rex's morale didn't plummet from us freeing everyone, then learning his precious 'Facility' is now ours certainly will."

Her attention would move from her transformed lover to the chief he was showing off.

"Hmm ... what to do, huh?"

Reaching forward, a hand rested on the man's forehead. Closing her eyes, Yuna dug into his surface thoughts; the constant cries of 'Kill me' or anything along those lines were repeatedly echoing in his mind. But was that really what he wanted? Or was it just a bluff?

"I think," Yuna said after weighing her options, "Now's the perfect time to see what he really wants; to live or die."

Emptying the pistol she'd been using so it only held one bullet instead of a full set, she then handed it over to the chief. Her right hand held onto the remaining, spare bullets as she began to explain, "So here's what you can do. If you really wanna die, just aim at your head or chest and pull on the trigger. Easy, really. You can try to shoot me ... but I wouldn't advise doing so. It'd be a waste, and especially if you miss, you probably will be killed. Actually, whether you miss or not, just attempting such an action will likely lead to a swift execution. Should you fail to off yourself or try to kill me, regardless of the result ... "

Her head lifted to meet Hotsuma's eyes as she smirked, "Then you can show off and reveal the 'how' to your new trick. I won't lie, I am definitely curious about the 'how' part of the equation. Why is obvious ... because of whom you ended up becoming. Of course they'd loyally serve you. The how - let alone with that high of a number of soldiers - is something I merely have a guess or two on. But theories aren't definite answers, so if he's willing to give you a chance to elaborate, let him."

Now, it came down to what the Chief would do. Risky as this was, Yuna was already mentally preparing to activate her god-like speed to help dodge the bullet if he tried to go out like the typical Sector heroes did nowadays.

"Hurry up, Chief. I got some calls to make pretty quickly. If you don't make a decision, me or the Emperor will choose for you. And honestly? You'd best hope I make the end verdict before he does."
 

The Chief would then find himself given a rather humiliating choice: Either kill himself, or try to kill her and likely fail. Even if he could pull the gun fast enough, he knew he was going to die whether he got the shot off or not. Even so...It was more than tempting to end his own life; at least it would be on his terms, and not in the hands of the sniveling brats standing around him.

"Hmm? Why the hesitation, Chief? I thought you Sector old-timers were all about resolve. Honor and holding up the code, all that propaganda bullshit you feed to your recruits. Don't tell it's all just a front and they've been living a lie?" Emperor!Hotsuma commented, laughing as he would wait for the Chief to make his choice.

Having an idea, Hotsuma would then call out, "Bring the captives around! Let us see how much resolve he has when faced with the very soldiers he was forced to command." And with a matter of moments, the surviving demon soldiers hauled their numerous captives to sit before the display, all the junior Sector officers (in respect to the Chief's rank, at least) now being forced to watch as one of their commanders was being made to choose between ending his own life or having it ended for him.

"What kind of sick shit is this?!" one of the juniors called out, another adding "You call us monsters, but now you're trying to make someone kill himself? The fuck is wrong with you two?!" Emperor!Hotsuma could only chuckle, "Well, according to Sector's mindset, it's simply being born. That's what's wrong with us. But don't worry, all of you will get your turn soon enough. He then turned his attention back to the captured commanding officer, "Now then, Chief...As my partner said, she's a very busy woman. So try to hurry it up, yeah?"

The Chief picked up the gun, albeit very hesitantly; with only one shot, he could only see one real option. And seemingly without hesitation, he placed the gun barrel under his jaw. "Men and women of this fine platoon, just know that I give my life for you! Not for them! They may take our lives, but just know that all of your hard work, all that you have sacrificed to ensure the safety of the public will not go unnoticed or unrewarded! We are the wall that keeps the Tops safe! Remember this!" And then he pulled the trigger...

Or at least he thought he did; in truth, his finger hadn't moved a single inch. His hand shaking as he tried to will himself to end his own life. "Come on...Just do it...Just pull it and you'll not give these brats the satisfaction of ending you. Do it, do it, do it!" he called out in his mind; however, eventually he would just lay the gun down, head slumped in defeat. "Bravo, Chief...Just bravo. Nice speech...But it usually helps if you follow through, you know?" Hotsuma commented in a teasing tone, hearing the Emperor quip "Feh, they're all braggarts. Buffoons who think they know what it means to be strong. Seeing their own men used against them, even if they may not know it, has broken them. You have broken their illusion of control, now they are running scared."

The Chief could only snarl back in reply, "Even if I can't kill myself...At least I can kill you!" And in a matter of moments, he had swung the gun barrel and had it aimed right at Yuna...Unaware of her enhanced ability.



Back in Arcadia, Divine had Eikichi held down. Was he playing a dangerous game? Yes, but often the best and most ambitious of plans carried significant risk; one could only mitigate so much. And besides...His recent 'trial' with Yamichi had proven quite successful.

"Now then...Eikichi, was it? Please try to understand that I don't want to make this difficult. I really don't; who wants things to be harder than they really should be right?" he then asked the bluenette lieutenant's 'Aniki'; such an interesting pair, these two. Almost reminded him of Hotsuma and Yuna, minus the romantic element. Even so, this had to continue.

"Eikichi-san..." Yamichi would then say, his voice practically flat as he stared emptily at the third in command for Yuna, himself free of his restraints and standing what appeared to be willingly at Divine's side, "Let Divine-sama help you. He can make us stronger, more able to protect that which we hold dear." With how he was talking, it was almost like he was just an empty shell...And given that this was in full view of Hajime and Aki, this would be quite the sight indeed to see the tech being so subservient to the redhead's master.
 

Yuna's boots tapped impatiently on the ground. "Come on, sir. We're all waiting ... hah! Now all of us are, rather."

It probably should be scaring Yuna as to how much she was enjoying forcing a man to make one of the most fucked up and hardest choices of her life. Maybe it was from being all but next to the Fiend ... or maybe it was simply payback for all the shit she had to endure in the Facility. Either way, she was fine with this. More than fine, to be brutally honest. Borderline eager and ecstatic to see what'd happen.

"Annnnnny day now," Yuna taunted, sighing as she kept her eyes fixated upon the chief, curiously observing to see what he'd do.

For a bit, it seemed like he wasn't bluffing and would indeed take his life. He even gave a speech and everything. But .... it was a bluff. That was exactly why Yuna had given him the choice; to see if he was just spouting desperate words or not. She smirked, even chuckled slightly. "Oh, you poor bastard. I warned you .... "

Almost immediately after he turned the gun around at her, a brief but dangerous aura surrounded Yuna. Though she didn't physically change, anyone who sensed it could detect something had happened to her. In literally the blink of an eye, she would jerk the firearm away from the chief and point it straight at his head. "Ehh. He was becoming too much of a nuisance anyway. You got others whom, I'm sure, will be more willing to show how you did your trick."

That was all the hint or warning the Sector chief and officers would get to suggest what would happen next.

BANG!

Hotsuma would see the very sight he missed moments ago when she shot the officer who arrived at Yomi's door. Again, there were no second thoughts, no hesitation, no regret ... no remorse. No nothing it seemed. "So ... mind if we have your new ability shown inside? I really do need to get a head start on some things; I wasn't just saying that for the hell of it."

If it would be best for her to remain outside, she'd wait. Otherwise, Yuna pivoted on her feet and began to enter the Facility, going for the room with all the confiscated items. While walking to her destination, she reloaded her gun with a new set of bullets, tucking it back into her rear pocket once finished deactivating the safety once more.
As relieved as Eikichi was that Hajime had been able to get in touch with Yuna, he was worried. Yamichi had yet to return .... why not? Where was he?

As if on cue, both Hajime and Eikichi would see Divine arrive ... with ... Yamichi in tow?

"The fuck are you trying to pull, huh?! You're not really making it very clear what you want exactly."

When Yamichi started to talk ... Eikichi blinked, his eyes going a bit wide. " ... Excuse me? Since when did he earn that honorific?! Yamichi ... ??"

"He's not there, per se," Aki finally explained. "He's under Divine's control."

.... So that sorta thing could actually be done? Eikichi's fingernails dug into his palms as he scoffed. "So... you're trying to ask for another free puppet? Fuck you. You may as well kill me before I agree to that."

"ANIKI, NO! DON'T SAY THAT!" Hajime looked pleadingly over to Divine ... just in case he was considering taking his elder brother up on that offer. His head moved frantically from side to side. "Please ignore that... don't really kill him. Take me! I'll cooperate ... you've wanted that, right? Leave him alone, please ... "
 

Hotsuma didn't even flinch as his lover shot the Chief in the head, the man slumping forward and laying dead on the floor; the other officers seemed shocked that she had been able to reverse it so quickly, let alone with such lethality. They were utterly shocked, and now that their Chief was dead...What would become of them?

"Indeed I do...But I think I will bring them inside. Let them get one last look at what was supposed to be a monument to their control...It will make for quite the display." Emperor!Hotsuma replied, making a motion to have all his minions heave their captives inside; and with how much stronger the demons were, the human officers had no chance of resisting them. "What the hell are you going to do with us, you freak?!" one of the juniors shouted, demanding to know. "Dude, just shut up! Don't make it worse!" another responded, a third chiming in after trying to wriggle free "Worse!? That psycho bitch just shot the Chief in the head and we've got costumed freaks holding us hostage! How can it get any worse than this? Nrgh, these fuckers are strong too!"

"Hehe, you wish it was just a costume." Hotsuma grinned internally, choosing not to reply; no, it would be better to leave it as a surprise. "Yuna...Before you head any further in, just have a watch real quick." her partner would say, walking forward and grabbing another officer; his stripes indicated that he was a much higher rank than the rest of these peons, likely the director subordinate of the Chief himself. "While I admit the Chief himself would have been better suited for this...You'll do." he then said, Emperor!Hotsuma's voice loudly booming "Alright, you pieces of garbage! You thought yourselves so high and mighty, but it ends here! Let it be known, that the Facility is now completely out of Sector's hands! It belongs to the Satellite...IT BELONGS TO ME!" And it would be here that Yuna would get a first-hand experience of how it was he managed to conjure so many soldiers, those familiar black tendrils erupting outward from his right arm and completely ensnaring the Sector official, his voice screaming as they invaded his body and began pouring unholy energy into him. The others only watched in growing horror at the spectacle, Emperor!Hotsuma roaring "To those of you who survived this assault, you will know the honor of serving a true King! Let this worm be an example, a shining beacon of your evolution!"

A dark pulse then boomed outward from within the makeshift cocoon, followed by another...And then one more; if Rose was paying attention at all, she would hear the call of the Underworld, the beckoning that impure power residing within Hotsuma created to have something cross over...Assume control of this mortal shell. And not two moments after he was ensnared, they released , revealing him in his new form, kneeling before Hotsuma as if he had always served him.

"My King...What is your order?" the Demon Commander asked, Emperor!Hotsuma raising a fist, "Consider this order absolute! Follow it without hesitation, and destroy those that might encroach! My loyal subjects, my Commander! Soon, all those the Tops have labeled monsters! Demons! Destroyers! Vagrants and Filth! They will come to this place! You are to defend them, they who suffered the injustice of Director Goodwin's tyranny! So says I! The DEMON OF THE SATELLITE! YOUR EMPEROR! YOUR GOD!"

And in unison, the Commander and the new and previous soldiers all stood up, the former turning around and roaring "FOR THE EMPEROR! OUR RULER! OUR GOD!" and the latter giving that crisp salute and those three harsh barks of approval. And within, the Emperor couldn't be happier...Yes, this was all going so well; he had many more legions after all. He could spare a few if it meant gaining this boy's cooperation...And besides, the utter thirst this boy felt. He knew better than to push too soon, however, and would simply compliment "Whelp...I must admit I did not expect you to move so quickly; to be completely honest, I was expecting you to not want to take this back. I can think of no greater insult to that vermin Goodwin. You have earned my sincere congratulations...So what now?" "Now? Now we get this place cleaned up...And turn those that survived into more loyal subjects, as you put it." Hotsuma declared, raising his right arm to the heavens before those tendrils that turned the Chief's subordinate swiftly enveloped the others, those same dark pulses emitting outward as they were turned into more Demon Soldiers. Significantly increasing his ranks and adding more strength to defend this new 'Yomi'.

"YOU WHO SERVE ME! GET TO WORK! CLEAR THE BODIES OF THE UNDESERVING! I WANT THIS PLACE SPOTLESS! AND BE QUICK ABOUT IT!" he then bellowed, setting those loyal many into action. It wouldn't be much longer before the others would get here; and even Hotsuma as he was didn't want them to have to witness such a brutal scene.



Divine just smirked as Eikichi gave that typical defiant response, shaking his head, "No, not a puppet; I only really did this to help quiet him down. Plus, even though Aki betrayed me, I couldn't have him speaking to her like that. She is the one of the very reasons I got as far as I did with Arcadia. She's a regular role-model for the others, a true testament of what it means to be mighty." Of course, it wasn't without his contributions either; still, she had been such a viable asset to his organization.

However, when Aki gave her explanation, Divine just smiled, "And...Had you helped me as I had helped you, Aki, this wouldn't have been necessary. While it's true a clash might have been inevitable, presenting a united front instead of betraying me would have reduced the number of unpleasant consequences. This world is not something that is built without sacrifice, after all; you of all people should know that better than anyone."

And when Hajime then went ahead to consent with being cooperative, Divine just shook his head "Sorry, Hajime...But I'm afraid that if I were to simply trust you, you would take the first available opportunity to try and get rid of me. But...Perhaps you can be of more use." He could see it more clearly now; Eikichi had come for his ototo, but how would he fare if he knew he could not save him. After, one thing he learned from everything so far was this group seemed to be largely selfless, preferring themselves being injured...And if he could get Eikichi to join up, then in his mind having Hajime be safely in his employ would be easy as cake.

Facing Hajime, he would then say, "Now...Eikichi, you're extremely protective of your brother, yes? Blood he may not be, but he might as well be family. Let us see how far that bond truly extends...Yamichi, please show Eikichi what I'm referring to." Yamichi just nodded, muttering "Yes, Divine-sama" and walked over to Hajime's cell, hand over a button...But he didn't push it. "Yamichi...Kindly show Eikichi what will happen." Divine commanded again...Moments passed and Yamichi still didn't comply; sighing, Divine walked over and pressed the tech's hand against it with his own...A painful and harsh current running through the bluenette's body. "With how badly he's injured, Eikichi...How much do you think he can take?" Divine then asked the elder 'brother'...Pressing it again to shock Hajime even more.
 

Damn. He really wanted to show this new talent off. Whatever it was, he must have quite the show in mind. Smirking slightly, Yuna paused and turned. "Fine, fine. Try to make it fast."

Yuna quickly found herself wishing she hadn't watched.

W-Wait! Those people ... you .... made them have a form?! Like us?!

Now she was upset, and it showed as she quaked, her fists clenching. "Inside," she hissed through gritted teeth, "Or not, if you wanna be stubborn again. But you're not gonna hear what I've got to say about his, and it is very important. Oh fuck yes it is!" Upon entering the confiscated storage room - if he followed, that was - Hotsuma would find Yuna rummaging around through all of the duel disks first. Her head turned .... and only when she saw him did she begin to speak. "Are you out of your fucking mind?! SERIOUSLY?! That can bite us in the ass! Do you realize this?! What if they snap out of that mind control?! Then what?! Even with all the guns and shit I can get .... damnit, Hotsuma! We just got this place ... that's all butt tempting fate to have us lose it, and then have an even worse fate."

Yuna sighed, taking a deep breath to calm herself before adding, "Please .... don't do that again. Not unless it's absolutely necessary. I'd rather recruit more men who have their own free will and skills than mindless puppets. It's ... too much of a reminder of what we avoided back at Arcadia. And all more the reason I'm hurrying my ass to get over there; so none of ours have to suffer that sorta shit."

Her eyes narrowed .... goddamnit, where was it?

Ah well. Any disk would work, at least for now. After opting to just choose the fist she found rather than her own, Yuna turned and looked over to her changed lover. "Speaking of Arcadia .... you gonna come with me? I'm gonna head out when the moon rises. A night assault would be best ... especially with this sort of outfit."
"Hmph. That still doesn't really give a clear answer as to what you want with me. Elaborate."

Eikichi's eyes narrowed as he watched Divine turn to Hajime .... he must have mentally pleaded to take his spot or something. That's what the words implied. So ... if he was saying no, then what did he mean about making use of his ototo?

His gut tightened; something deep inside made him certain whatever the answer, it would not be good. "The fuck are you going on about?! ANSWER ME!"

Aki had to suppress a smirk; well, it wasn't what she was expecting. But hey, she wouldn't complain. An opportunity arrived ... and it came in the form of Yamichi hesitating. "Divine-sama. I've been thinking .... hence my silence and calm demeanor. You're right. I messed up. It's been my first big mistake. You're a man of second chances, usually, yes?" Her had bowed politely. "Let me out ... and allow me to help remove anymore doubts from the boy."

"YOU SHUT UP!" Eikichi began to roar at Aki, only to have his attention turned as pained cries from Hajime caught his attention. "STOP!"

Hajime whimpered, screaming and writhing on the floor as the - regretfully - familiar sensation of electricity began flowing through his body. "NOT AGAIN! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He only got what he was certain to be five - maybe thirty at the most - seconds of reprieve before the button was pressed again. His head moved from side to side as he yelped, squirming against his chains instinctively. When this part ended ... his head collapsed on the ground. The rising and falling of Hajime's chest at least hinted he was alive.

But even with being across the way from Eikichi, he could see Divine wasn't bluffing. He had already been wounded pretty badly. "WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO HIM?! STOP! What do you want me to say?! I'll join you, is that it?!"

His lips pursed ... he refused to just outright betray Yuna. But ... he tried to assume Hajime's message had gone through. Was it really worth risking putting Yuna's skills on the line to get himself - if he accepted - and Yamichi free?

"Give me a clear demand of what you're asking for!" he finally added, deciding that was the best way to fairly stall. This way, he wouldn't be rushed for an answer and could more logically weigh his options out.
 

If the Emperor's form had any visible brows, even with the helmet removed, she would have been staring at one raised in curiosity. Well, he hadn't expected that reaction out of her. Though he couldn't help laughing to himself as he followed into the storage room; with all the commotion outside, they wouldn't be bothered.

"Whelp...Let me explain it to her." she would then hear the Emperor command, Hotsuma conceding "By all means..Just try to call her by name, yeah? She's no wench or whatever archaic insult you feel like using." The Emperor just gave a tired 'Hmph' and started, "Yuna, yes? While I can see you would think it's the same...In truth, it's not. This contract, for lack of a better term, is absolutely irrevocable. They cannot change as you and Hotsuma do, nor do their human souls have any say in what their body does. The nature of their binding is far different; whereas the boy's soul and mine exist in the same state of awareness...Their's does not. If you think about it like this, their human soul is nothing more than an anchor. The soul of my demons is by far the dominant one. So long as Hotsuma and I are bound, they will obey us. They view he and I as one in the same. So trust me, however hard it might be for you to do, that this will not come back to haunt you. If anything, I would have figured you elated to have Goodwin's own forces supplementing your own."

Hotsuma scoffed, "Yeah, but I do get where she's coming from. Even so, Yuna...If you don't trust him, then trust me. I know...I know I haven't got the same level of bonding that you and Rose do. But even still...I got this now. We can do this, and once those goofs at Arcadia are back here, then we can hold this down. Make a place truly for ourselves." And it was here the Emperor spoke up once more, "And if you don't believe, ask your spirit...I'm sure she can sense the totality of this bond, yes? Go ahead Rose...See if you can detect their human souls."

But when she brought up Arcadia and actually going, that's when he hesitated. True, he did say he had better control....But that was over his own power, not his emotions regarding the people of the Tops. There was a part of him that he tried to keep secret, something that only Yamichi had ever truly seen...And with this new hold on his power, he didn't know what he would do if he got over into the Tops.

"Yuna...I can't. And before you judge me, let me explain. This won't be easy..." Hotsuma started to say, willing his transformation away and leaving his normal human self. "I know Yamichi's in danger...And that's what's going to make it even worse. Love...There's something you need to know about me. The truth is, I've had some violent thoughts even before I got stuck with this power. About what I'd do to the people in the Tops, sitting high and sipping their champagne while children get beaten and people die of starvation and disease. Because they know....THEY KNOW! EVERYTHING!"

He looked down at his right arm, "And if I go over there...And something did happen to Hajime, Eikichi or Yamichi...Yuna, I'm not sure I could control myself. At least if I stay here, then it's only Sector that gets the hurt. I know deep down the people in the Tops are just ignorant fucks...But I'd still hurt them all the same, inflict the pain their cops made all of us in the Satellite have felt for years." Shaking his head, "So...That's why it's not that I don't want to go...It's just that I can't. I don't want to absolutely lose it and hurt, or worse yet, kill someone who doesn't deserve it."



Thankfully Hajime, the torture didn't last very long; though for him it probably felt like an eternity. And once it was done, Divine stepped back, letting the bluenette rest. His brows raised when he heard Aki speak, before long a small smirk appearing, "You're right, Aki...I am a man of second chances." He would then go to the front of her cell and lean down to look her right in the eyes, "But only to those that deserve it; and it's going to take a lot more than your feigned resolve to make me want to trust you again."

Standing up once more, he would then turn as Eikichi demanded that he be more clear. "A clear demand? Alright...I can do that" he would reply, going to stand before him. "If you're thinking I want you to betray Yuna, know that that's not the case. I don't wish to cause tension among your group; you all seem to be under the impression that I want to rule over you. No, that's not it at all; I want Psychics, I want the downtrodden to finally have a chance to speak up for themselves. To live without fear of retribution, to be able to walk down the streets without a million cretins thinking themselves superior just because they were born into a higher social caste."

Opening Eikichi's cell, he then said directly to face, "I want you and Hajime to help me with this. I do want you to join our cause, but I don't you to feel like you have to forsake your relationship or camaraderie with Yuna either. Just give me a chance, Eikichi...And help convince your ototo that this will ultimately benefit both of us."
 

Yuna's fingers quickly finished moving along the duel disk. Good. It turned on, which implied Sector simply took these items away, but didn't ruin them. Her fingers lightly tapped as she felt her mind rapidly racing. Where to go for this call? Almost all of the Facility had rather echoey rooms; not necessarily the worst thing, but it could get annoying. And for the calls she was gonna make, she wanted to make damn sure she was understood. " ... He shouldn't have even had to tell you that, Emperor," Yuna bitterly shot back. "Seriously. I use your actual name ... as much as I know it. Like it or not, we're partners ... and not just in crime. It's fucking common courtesy."

Her arms crossed over her chest as Yuna leaned against the wall, listening.

"So ... you literally made them all but soulless?"

Her head quickly shook.

"That's even worse than I originally thought! No! I'm not gonna have Rose check because .... no! God, fuck! If you had to mind fuck them, fine! But this ... is crossing several lines too many! Making them obedient? Fine. I can accept that. But essentially making them without a soul?"

Yuna shook, her head continuing to move from side to side. "That's too much! We just needed to take this place over! And we did! Goddamn both of you sometimes! Do you not realize you've sank to the same level Sector used to be at?! They did the same shit; more or less, they removed any slither of hope people had while in here. Some could argue they probably felt the same as you've made those people. I .... I can't - and I won't - agree with this ability of yours."

She quickly rose her right index finger up.

"This isn't to say I'm gonna turn my back on you. But know that I'm really not happy with you right now."

.... Well, so much for catching up. Now, Yuna felt ready to sleep after making her calls and just wait for night to roll around.

"No?! Your own right-hand man is there though!" Eliciting an irked sigh, Yuna pushed herself away from the wall and began wandering through the halls. "Walk and talk with me ... "

And please, do give a decent reason, she added, glancing from side to side in search of a suitable room to make her calls in.

... Okay. She couldn't deny that was actually a good incentive. The smartest thing he'd said thus far since she saw him again. "I hear where you're coming from ... but ... I wish you would join me. We've already seen me staying in my form for too long leads to ... consequences. And I'm still not sure why only Yusei woke me up last time. That really scares me. Let's no bullshit ourselves; I'm going to have to become Yuse when I go there. I ... I don't know if I can handle Divine - or Aki, if push comes to shove - by myself. But I guess ... I have to. I have to somehow adapt and .... "

Raising a slightly shaky hand, Yuna helped guide it through her onyx locks several times. "I guess .... I need to put all the personal shit I wanted to do before leaving on a rain check. I may as well use what time I do have before leaving to strengthen myself and ... maybe figure out why it was Yusei that helped me regain consciousness. I ... I'll see you around."

Turning on her feet, she finally caught sight of perhaps the best choice for a room to use; the Warden's - well, ex-Warden now - office. Smirking slightly, she walked inside, plopped into the chair, and first dialed Takeshi's disk. "Bring everyone over to the Facility. It's all secured now. I'm gonna leave come nightfall; but you and the others ... help everyone settle in. Have people work on helping with the interior redecorating when they arrive. We're getting a head start ... but it won't likely be done. Oh ... and don't be too surprised when you arrive. There ... there will be other, smaller fiends when you arrive. They're with us. Just relay you're with me and Hotsuma, and you guys will be fine."

When she got a cue he understood and heard her message, Yuna would hang up and dial the next person ... one who would be far less happier to see and hear from her.

"Yo, Goodwin. Just wanted to really quickly thank you for so generously handing the Facility. Me and the Fiend will make damn sure to put this place to amazing use. I'm sure you're busy, so I'll let ya get back to whatever you were doing. Thanks again~"

Flashing the director a coy smirk and mock salute, she hung up ... and leaned back in the chair. Her eyes closed as she went about mentally preparing herself for the evening. It was definitely going to be one of the longest ones in her life thus far.
... Was that really it? Divine made it sound so simple. There were a shit ton of loopholes. But that was fine. If anything, he could use them. Help further stall to give Yuna even more time. With Hajime having reached out to her, it wasn't a matter of if she'd come; just when. Of course, sooner would always be preferred. But that was why he was going to take advantage of what Divine was offering; so when she arrived, he could bite this bastard in the ass.

"If I talk to him, you'll take back your earlier words? It sounded like you didn't want Hajime to be a part of this. So I'll convince him ... if you'll take that back and allow me to talk. Also, if you don't mind, it'd be easier if I weren't across the way from him in a cell. Keep the chains on if you want ... but let me be with him. Please."

.. E ... Eikichi-aniki ... Hajime's face now bowed voluntarily. Shame flooded him; damnit. Even with having these powers, he felt so weak. It wasn't simply because of the manacles, though those weren't helping either. Hajime groaned, closing his eyes as he rolled onto his back, steadily regaining his lost breaths and oxygen.
 

If Yuna could see his face, she would see now Hotsuma was getting a little annoyed; wasn't it good enough that he did it only to Sector? The very people that made their lives hell? And she wanted to try and say they should be shown mercy? Wasn't it she who said she wanted to declare war?

This was it...And if using the enemy as shock troops was pushing it too far, then maybe he was better off alone. And if she was so worried about it biting them in the ass, then she would see that just using a brain-fuck technique would be an even worse way to go. THAT could very well bite them in the ass; at least with this, it was absolute. No fear of retribution, completely loyal soldiers to defend this place. And best of all? No one that suffered Sector's cruelty was hurt, so in his eyes it was a win-win-win.

Yeah, was definitely looking like he shouldn't go...Especially after he bared his reasoning to her. God forbid what he would do if he lost control over there; if she though this was bad. But for now...He let her be, still more than a little irritated that she tried to play the high ground with him. Especially considering that she'd just gunned down a defenseless officer in cold blood; even if he didn't know that he had no chance, that would be with her. "Funny way to draw the line" Hotsuma thought to himself, keeping that thought private.

"Forget it, Hotsuma; she doesn't see the brilliance of it. Besides, even she would agree that it's better it happened to Sector than any of the ignorant blights over in that 'utopia' called the Tops." his contract spoke to him, adding "But she does have a point...A commander should always ensure that his subordinates are secured, within sight in case he must come to aid them in a time of need." Hotsuma shook his head, "No...Especially if I accidentally kill or hurt someone who I shouldn't; whether Yuna agrees with me or not, at least Sector does deserve something for the shit they doled out to the people here. They knew what they were signing up for when they agreed to serve in Goodwin's fascist police force. Now it's come down to them to pay the penalty...The people in the Tops just blindly believe everything that asshat Director of theirs."

Even so, the Emperor pushed, "True...But think of the morale blow that will deal to your soldiers. What will they say once they learn you're not willing to go over there out of some petty fear? Especially this 'Yamichi'; how will his allegiance hold if he learns that you didn't come for him in his most dire hour of need?" Even if the Emperor was a cold heartless bastard...He was making some good points.

However...It would seem that their conversation would have to wait; the first waves of the Yomi mainstays were on their way back. Most of the comments were just amazement at the state of the Facility...Along with the fact that they were back at all. "Hotsuma!" Takeshi shouted, the Disciples boss smiling weakly as he said, "Hey, Takeshi...Guess Sector didn't harass you guys too much, eh?" The brown-haired scout just shook his head, "All good...Shit I guess Yuna wasn't kidding. Though I guess compared to you...er, other you, I mean...they are smaller. How did this even happen?" At this Hotsuma grimaced, remembering the comment that Yuna had made....Still, he expected Takeshi to be full frontal about everything, and so would he.

Telling him how it worked, Takeshi's eyes widened...But to Hotsuma's surprise, he didn't get quite the same negative reaction, "Well shit...I mean, if it were anyone else I would consider it extreme. I mean, literally turning them into slaves is going a bit far. But then again, how many of Goodwin's people did the same thing, right?" At this Hotsuma nodded, "I know it's not ideal...But with so much real estate now, we need the extra bodies. This was an ambitious plan, and I'm happy to have you guys here to back me up on it. And if we can borrow some of Sector's strength to make it happen, and make the defenses here stronger to boot? I say we take it; make no mistake too, because if Yuna's doing what I think she's doing...Goodwin's going to try and come after us."

Takeshi just nodded, "So...What about Hajime? When are we going after him?" Hotsuma just shook his head, "I...I don't know if I'm going or not. Takeshi...As you said, this was going a bit far...I'm...I'm honestly scared that if something did happen to Yamichi...Especially so close after my brother...That I won't be able to hold back." Takeshi narrowed his eyes, his fist clenched...Then punched Hotsuma in the shoulder, making the Disciple wince as he pulled it back, shaking the aching hand a little. "Hotsuma...I know you. The real you, under that armor and crazy power...You always gave it to people who deserved it, and only them. That's why I joined up with you, joined up with Yuna...Didn't we take an oath to exact true justice!? No matter the cost?" Looking down at the floor, Takeshi grimaced, "It isn't just Yamichi either...Eikichi and Hajime are there. Our friends, Hotsuma; if those creepy fucks in Arcadia made you...Think of the benefit of you going over there. If they see how strong you are now...Wouldn't it stop them from trying to take anymore of us?"

"Hehe, boy...You don't know him as well as you think." the Emperor replied mentally, though Takeshi wouldn't be able to hear it. But...It seemed like the combined arguments of the Emperor and his number three were both starting to get to him. "God damn it...Am I just stupid, or did everyone get smarter than me while I was locked up?" Hotsuma muttered, a weak smile on his face. Takeshi just chuckled, "No...But you aren't exactly in a typical boat anymore. Just...Do me one favor. Bring them home safe, alright? Now go talk to Yuna...I can see when you two have had a fight, so go make it up to her by telling her the good news."

Hotsuma nodded...And a short while later, he would be up at the Warden's office, having sensed his lover's presence. He could tell she was resting...But he wasn't about to give up now. Knocking gently on the doorjam, he would then say in a soft voice, "Yuna...Got a sec?"

"Take them back? Whatever do you mean, Eikichi...Now I'm going to have to ask you to be more clear; I thought the phrase 'I want you and Hajime to be a part of this' was a very succinct, very direct assertion of what I desire." Divine reminded him; honestly, was the boy trying his patience on purpose? If so, then he was succeeding a little bit. But letting out a short and deep breath to calm himself, Divine just said, "Very well...But know this, Hajime and yourself cannot hide anything from me. I will be able to detect if you do, and should it come to it, he will suffer again."

Nodding to one of the cloaked figures to his left, Eikichi would be allowed to stand in front of his ototo's cell, the manacles still very much bound about his limbs. "Hopefully you can understand why I won't allow personal contact...This is as far as you will go. And remember what I have said...Very carefully." Divine then added, stepping back but keeping mental tabs what they may or may not say with each other.
 

No matter how many times Yuna checked over herself, she was ready for the evening. At least ... she was as far as being physically prepared. Each rear pocket had a concealed firearm. There were also holsters on the inside of her jacket, one per side, against her inner leg, and even one concealed with her bra. Bold, yeah ... definitely. But that was why everything had the safety active for now. There was no risk of shooting herself this way. Mentally, however, Yuna was not ready. In fact, she was practically a wreck.

She had at least managed to keep her emotions in check while making each of the calls.

Now .... tears were quickly streaming down her face. She was frustrated.

Who am I even to him, anyway?

Unfortunately, Yuna was a woman who could maybe forgive a person, heavily depending on the circumstances. Forget? Never. The pain that had come with hearing the Emperor insist he just 'leave her' had never left. And those were a small piece of what was making her tears fall. This new Hotsuma ... it really did confuse and scare her. He was doing a lot of things that the man she'd fallen in love with would never resort to. From just bolting off and refusing for her to help him during his mourning process to ... what he recently revealed. There were so many more alternatives that could have been used. It'd be more ironic to imprison Sector, just like they'd done to them and so many others.

But .... making them soulless?

That really was too far. Yes, she'd killed. And yes, she'd done so in cold blood.

"He should fucking get it though!" Yuna hissed through gritted teeth, "I'm basically on their execution list. At this rate ... I can't give Sector mercy anymore."

What was worse, he refused to accompany her. In the best case scenario, she could finish the mission quickly enough to not put herself at risk for falling into a coma. The worst ... was the very opposite. Taking too long ... and likely ending up re-captured, or something even more dire.

And I still don't get why only Yusei woke me up! YOU'RE SO FUCKING SELFISH SOMETIMES! IT'S YOUR SECOND WHO'S THERE, NOT JUST MINE!

She should be happy. This was by far one of the biggest achievements that could have happened; overtaking Sector. But she couldn't. It was just like when Fayth lost to Hotsuma; she couldn't feel relieved she was getting treated before being put in solitary.

Were these signs or some shit?

"Maybe," she whimpered softly, trying to wipe some of the tears away, only for them to be replaced seconds after her arm moved away. " .... I did make a mistake, didn't I? No wonder so many say falling in love is stupid."

Fuck hormones, especially while one's a goddamn teenager ....

Her head fell upon her eyes as Yuna decided the hell with almost everything. She was mentally worn out. Right now, sleeping and passing the time really did seem like the best thing to do. It pained and infuriated her ... but Hotsuma was as stubborn as herself. It'd take an actual miracle for him to change his mind. And honestly? She wasn't counting on it.

And yet ... maybe she should have. Her head quickly lifted, though not before she tried to erase most of the tears ... and only partially succeeded. "What is it?" she asked in a barely audible voice.
"Just making sure," Eikichi swiftly replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Some people aren't very good at keeping their promises. Not everyone means what they say and says what they mean. I'm sure you've problems with similar people. Consider it a precaution on my behalf."

A sigh of relief resounded from Eikichi as he was finally helped up to his feet; holy fucking hell, his joints wre sore. His wrists were still aching ... but at least some part of his body could get a break from constantly being forced to endure the cold, hard floor. "I heard you," he replied, mentally tucking the threat away as he carefully sat beside the bars of Hajme's cell. "Ototo? You okay? Can you move?"

Hajime groaned, barely managing to roll so he could face Eikichi.

Are you ... serious about this?

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

Goddamn; never before had Eikichi realized how hard it was to keep his internal thoughts under control. Not to say his answer was a lie ... not completely. Maybe half of one, but ... he was doing his damnedest to keep all of this concealed. "I don't want you to become a goddamn marionette ... and I don't think you wanna either. Besides, name one time we've suffered separately -- not counting when you lost your voice. Another time."

But -- !!

Eikichi shook his head, interrupting his younger sibling. "Shhh. Listen to me. He's offering us more than we deserve. You heard, didn't you? We're not abandoning Yuna. We're just ... taking up a secondary role, if you want to think of it as anything." The spellcaster user had to bite his lower lip, keeping the extra thoughts he wanted to have echo in his head stay hidden. "I know I want out of these chains. You do too, don't you? We can be together again. Please ... "

... He was right about that. He did want to be done with these manacles. To be near his brother with little to no consequences. To avoid anymore shocks; god forbid he hadn't felt enough from that fucking collar. But ... it was the part about staying here that was making him hesitate. That was what Divine's demands implied, anyway.

" ... You do know Yuna and Hotsuma got out of the Facility, right? I'm sure we could arrange times to see them, okay?"

You sure you're not reading my mind?

Eikichi smirked, shaking his head again, "I'm sure. Seriously, just your body language gives quite a bit away."

God these half-lies pained him. But he had to resort to them ... at least for now. "So? What say you?"

Hajime hissed and groaned in pain, slowly pushing himself up and resting his back against the wall. Turning his head, he stared long and hard at his brother. Was this really the right thing to do? Why did it feel so wrong? I ...

His head tilted up as Hajime closed his eyes, taking a long, deep breath.

Alright. I'll do it ... not just for you. I do want to better get used to these powers I already have.

"There we go," Eikichi encouraged, looking back over to Divine. "Satisfied?"
 

Hotsuma winced as he heard the mental retort; selfish...Really, actually caring about who he directed his rage at was selfish? It was that comment that made him almost want to turn the fuck around and let her wallow. Maybe this was a mistake; this was why he initially pledged to never get romantically involved with anyone, at least not until his brother was out and he could tone down the bullshit a little. But...With that plan shot to hell, now he had to deal with this mess. Especially after he saw that Yuna was clearly crying, making him feel just a little bit like an ass.

But...He also knew that he'd feel like shit if he didn't at least try to get Yamichi out...And taking a breath, he sat down in one of the chairs across from the desk Yuna was sitting behind herself. "In the Captain's chair already, eh? Ol' Armstrong sure wasn't afraid to splurge for himself." he commented blandly, remembering that fat fucker actually condone his guards molesting Yuna. Wherever he was now, it was too good for him.

Taking a deep breath, he then said, "Look...Yuna, I know this is a mess. But you have to think about it, we're taking pretty huge steps here. There's always going to be blowback, especially with someone like Goodwin in charge. Whether it was the best move or not, we need the extra bodies. Our people are tough, but a lot of them are also inexperienced. And plus...Now that we're going back into the Tops, we'll need people we know can hold down the fort."

But...He wouldn't go on too much longer about that, especially since it wasn't why he wanted to talk to her. "But anyway...That's not why I'm here. You're right...I was being stupid earlier. Yamichi's my main guy...I can't let my fears get in the way when he needs me. Needs us...So, if you're still taking passengers on this crazy train...Well, get me a ticket." he then said, sighing as he then added, "And besides...What would it say to everyone if I really let that stop me from taking our guys back out of Divine's hand? Pretty sure he'll know not to fuck with us if we both come back and break down his front door."

"Feh...Now you're just parroting your underling's words. And you failed to mention that I stated those points beforehand...Ungrateful worm." the Emperor chastised, Hotsuma laughing "Yeah, well, maybe he shouldn't be so damn good with them then." Giving Yuna a smile, he then said, "So...Still want me along? Besides...I do have one last little thing I want to show you. And trust me, you will like this one."

Divine listened the entire time, making sure that none of the two brothers could try to slip anything past him. He could feel that Eikichi was trying to not let his inner thoughts slip out, something that Divine respected but at the same time it made him even more wary. What was he trying to plan, aside from the obvious.

Only when their talk finished did he reply, "Yes...Quite. However, Eikichi, just now that I'll be keeping a very close eye on you two. I learned my mistake when I have collaborators among my disciples, especially those who disagree with my methods." That last comment was made quite pointedly at Aki; whether she would choose to reply or not, he then said, "But...If it makes you feel any better, I have a feeling you won't be staying here very long anyway." Divine would then say, something that might catch the two of them off-guard.

"Yes...I fear as we speak, you'll have some rescuers plotting to come here. Financial damage I can recover from, but even I can't reverse death...No, it seems all of this has been for naught. 'Tis why I had Yamichi become an associate, in case this might happen." he would then reply, patting the blonde's head before the guards would take Eikichi back to his cell and lock it back down. "At the very least, allow my cooks to prepare you one last meal. Guards...Once they've finished, prep the boys for transport but do not take them from their cells...Also, have the others make their rounds and ready the juniors for evacuation to the secondary building." Before Divine could walk away though, one of his guards then asked, "Sire...What of your lieutenant? She tried to betray you, what should we do with her?"

Divine paused here; that was a great question. True, she was powerful...But if he could keep her locked away in here, then a potential crisis could be averted. As it was, Yuna and her speaking - plus the fact that it was ultimately her that muted the Yomi boss's lieutenant - would put her safety in jeopardy. "Leave her as she is...I'll decide closer to the appropriate time." he would then say, taking his leave. He would need to finalize some things before that time...As well as see to their guests personally.
 

Yuna couldn't help but smirk as Hotsuma noticed where she was sitting. "Well .... between this being the best room to call some people and kinda feeling like I deserve it after that fucker injected me, yeah. I think at least for now, I can indulge myself somehow." Splurging ... hmm. She'd have to do that now the old base had gone up in flames. Probably sometime after getting her guys out. No ... definitely. If push came to shove, she could look for all of her possessions here. They had to be somewhere. Including her duel disk; she just was too rushed to care which one she'd picked up.

"Yeah ... I do understand. I just ... "

Yuna gripped on her lower lip, moving out of the chair and sitting atop the desk.

"Like .... were none of them able to be persuaded like Mei? I just ... preferences and shit. There really do feel like other ways to hold this place down. Hell, if you'd revealed they were copies of your actual, manifested cards ... I'd feel better."

Still, he was right; few others aside from Takeshi could wield and use a gun properly.

"Then ... let's work on improving that, yeah? I only never really pursued giving those sort of lessons out because ... lack of space. And if we did that outside, we'd have been discovered way sooner. But now ... we've got this place to ourselves. May as well take advantage of everything new we've earned."

When Hotsuma finally agreed to go with Yuna, her arms crossed over her chest. "You know? I hope both of you listen to me a bit more. I know I'm not perfect in my logic or anything. But before we partnered up? Well ... there are reasons I kept everyone safe. Not easily, fuck no. But I do know - for the most part - all I say and do. Please just .. be more open-minded, yeah?" A small smile crossed her face as she nodded. "Yep. I definitely will need the extra help so .... welcome aboard. No refunds, either, so tough shit if you wanna back out."

Sure enough, her eyebrows raised, silently questioning if she'd truly enjoy the 'surprise' or not.

"Hmmm. Before you show me whatever this is .... I need to get something off my chest. Not my bra or top ... not yet, unfortunately." Her legs lightly swung as she gathered her words, wanting to choose them carefully but earnestly. Reaching forward, Yuna intertwined her hands with the leader of the Disciples. "It probably hasn't been intentional, nor always your fault. In fact, it's probably been mine sometimes. But I do feel ... like we're getting distant. And ... the changes .... some of them are really scaring me. I sometimes .... you're not the same man I first met. I don't wanna lose you. Especially if this mission somehow goes bad ... I can't afford that. And that's ... what's tearing me apart right now."

Her head bowed as she stopped to think. She did wanna add more ... but how to go about it?

" ... As much as I'd love to make you promise not to change again, that's stupid of me. Even if we didn't ask for these powers .... I can't deny they have been helping us out. But ... I guess .... just be careful. Please. I really ... I'm terrified of losing you forever. If I did .... I don't know if I could get you back. Not on my own ... and maybe not ever. So don't .. don't tread down paths that'll lead to that type of result. Please."

Using her shoulder to wipe her tears away, she snuck another quick but passionate kiss onto Hotsuma's lips before sliding off the desk.

" ... Alright. You wanted to show me what now?" she asked, ready to follow her lover to ... wherever he wanted to lead her.
To say it took both Hajme and Eikichi off to hear Divine so openly confess he had likely made a mistake was an understatement.

... Then ... why ... ??

If he was that certain, should he not simply be focusing on anything but what he just made Eikichi do? Persuading him to get Hajime to willingly join ... shouldn't that be near the bottom of his priority list, then?

"Hmph. I told you we couldn't win this, Divine."

Eikichi raised an eyebrow as Aki spoke. Okay .... so maybe she did really try to help his brother out. But that wasn't enough in his eyes, and it very likely would apply to Yuna when she discovered Hajime had been forced to become mute.

No! Please let him stay!

"It's okay, Hajime ... I'll live. You will too. Just a bit more ... hang on for a bit more, okay?"

Hajime gripped his lower lip, reluctantly allowing his sibling to be dragged back into his cell. He'd heard words like that so many times ... hang in there and shit. But at least now ... they were sincere. And that was one of the few things keeping his attitude in check. Otherwise, he would have had a fit about being separated yet again.

With the two 'siblings' now back in their cells, all that was left was to play the waiting game. It was something everyone - including Aki - seemed to know and understand ... and, for now, were fine with accepting.
 

Hotsuma knew where she was coming from...But if her first big worry was about having it bite them in the ass, then wasn't something that made it wouldn't more preferable? More often than not, there was always a painful choice. And Hotsuma knew better than most that morals often only worked on paper; it was easy to think of judgment after the deed was done. "Yuna...You said it yourself. After everything we did, what officer in their right mind would help us? Especially to take the Facility back from their hands? We got lucky with Mei because she despised her job; I don't recall a single officer that I've met that's regretted any time he or she has abused their authority." he replied, thinking mentally, "At least, not until retribution was delivered, heh. Then they would swear to me they weren't like that. Fucking hypocrites."

And when she took his hands in her own, he just listened to her as she confessed her fears. Well...He wouldn't lie, he felt it sometimes himself; their relationship was still young, after all, as were they. But he figured at some point they would have falling outs, however minor or major they would be. Only when she finished would he respond, "I don't want to lose you either...And not just from you slipping into a coma and never waking up. That's why I was straight with you on why I felt I shouldn't go...And to be perfectly honest, I'm still scared of going at all. I don't know how it's going to look...And if something did happen to any of them, I could lose it."

Letting a sigh pass through him, "But...I promise I will try my damnedest. I know I've changed...And so have you; this whole ride's been one crazy clusterfuck after another." And after she kissed him, the two sharing a brief but tender moment, he would just say, "Just know this, Yuna...No matter what form I take, I will always love you." Internally he could hear Emperor groan in disgust; and yet part of that was why Hotsuma said it in the first place. He was completely honest about loving Yuna...But saying it that way to make his contract feel uncomfortable was just an added bonus.

"Oi, Takeshi...Make sure this place stays safe, and that our new friends don't give anyone any trouble. We're going to get our friends back...Shouldn't be too long!" Hotsuma called out, going off to ride with his partner on a single Runner; man the fact that this had a garage too was amazing, he thought. It wasn't much farther away that they had to ride; soon the sounds of gentle lapping against an old wharf could be heard, the sun still high but setting. "It's in here...." Hotsuma said, going to a sort of covered shack that rested just over the water...And inside would be one of Hotsuma's pet projects that he and Yamichi had worked on. "With everything that had been happening, even before this...We figured Sector would start to monitor the pipeline more closely. As such, we needed another way around...So we 'found' this little beauty. Going to be hard to transport Runners, but thankfully Yamichi helped - and by that I mean did the design workup - to install locks along the siderails that we can use to secure them there. This way we can get in and out of the Tops as much as we need...And, she's already fueled up; there was a reason Takeshi, Yamichi and I were gone for a few days before we invaded the Satellite. Had to make sure she was seaworthy."

Stepping back to let her look at it, he just smiled, "Well? Not bad right? Come on...I might not be a licensed boat driver, but I know a place where we can park this baby without getting spotted."


It had taken Yusei a few hours, but he managed to track down Bootleg's location; it was part of a more rural area of the Tops, almost like a mini-Satellite minus the detritus and industrial pollution. And surprisingly, he had seen several people with criminal marks in here as well. Here he had given the owner of the bar the Great Cattle Demon card Jin gave him, who then had Saiga meet him outside...And from there it had been a hell of a chase, having just lost Sector and now residing at Saiga's apartment.

"Thanks...Jin says hi by the way." Yusei panted, Saiga chuckling "Well, he helped me out of a bind...Plus, always willing to help out someone in need. You sure you want to do this though?" Yusei nodded, "Yeah...I do." Giving a nod, Saiga then went over to a desk and retrieved an object stating "But first...Need to neutralize that pesky mark. Won't last very long though; whatever's in that dye makes this wear off after some time." He then pressed it close to Yusei's face and let a cone of blue light wash over the mark. "Now we can't be tracked. Should help us keep the element of surprise." he explained, Yusei asking "Thank you...But I have nothing to repay you with..."

Saiga waved a hand, "I already got paid; Jin paid me in advance for a favor in case he got out, so I'll take it as this." He then went into a nearby closet and pulled out an electrician's outfit, "You'll be going in as an electrician to 'do a routine inspection'; as such, you'll be one of the last to leave...I just need a few minutes to make you an ID..." And after some handiwork and a printout later, with Yusei changed into his disguise, he would be given the tag. "We should head out now, before they close up the doors...Before they do, make sure you hide somewhere. That way you'll have the time you need." Yusei was wondering how this man knew all this, but decided it was better not to ask questions.

And half an hour later, he was inside the warehouse; it was honestly kind of amazing how easily he was let in. And he was equally thankful that all his tinkering actually did leave him with a fair bit of knowledge in circuits; as such, during his 'inspections' he was sure to disable a few of the non-critical systems...And before it was time for them to close up shop, he hid in the men's bathroom...And at one point, he did hear an officer asking if everyone was out of the building, to which another confirmed. And after waiting just a bit longer...He made sure that the coast was clear, before long starting his search for his seized property.
 

Yuna shrugged. "I get your point. Really, I do. But there's almost always at least one person who does have a sincere change of heart. Sure, it's a long shot ... but not necessarily impossible." Either way, he'd made his point on that topic. Annoyingly so ... but it still wouldn't make Yuna change her mind on how she felt in seeing his newest technique.

Fights and trials ... yeah. She knew those were common in any relationship. Shit, her parents used to go through those on a daily basis. It was what the arguments were about between her and Hotsuma that made Yuna worry the most. They were steadily becoming more and more major ... that was already a bad sign in itself. Her head quickly shook as Hotsuma admitted his own fears. "That's ... a good reason I'm being selfish. In case I do ... collapse again. Until I can understand what helped me even wake up last time ... or rather, why it had to be Yusei, I'd rather have someone who can at least get me back to our new base safely. And ... well, given where everyone is ... there's no guarantee they'll be without some scars or wounds. So it's my own back-up plan if things do get that dire."

Yuna chuckled softly, nodding in agreement. "Story of our lives, eh? One shit storm after another; seems to be a curse for tthosse born and-slash-or raised in the Satellite. Very true ... but there's few people I'd rather be enduring this with than you."

Leaning her head gently against Hotsuma's chest, Yuna's eyes closed as she took comfort in listening to his heart; his human heart.

"I'm doubly holding you to that, Hotsuma Oboro. Promises are as easy to break as hearts ... so it's a precaution on my behalf."

Revealing her true identity had been a hell of a feat for her to go through with. She could have lied, even back then. Granted, the fib probably would have failed ... but she still could have attempted to keep her Yukio guise rather than let even Hotsuma know who she truly was. Giving her heart was just as big a deal ... as it likely was for him.

Slowly, Yuna forced herself to pull away yet again. Hopefully, after this was over, she could relax. Have some private - and very needed - time with her lover. Maybe everyone could get a break of some sort. Thoughts like his made her smile, knowing the ending of their closeness was but a temporary drawback.

"Okay. So ... this surprise is ... where?"

A quick drive away and ... at a pier?

"Alright. You got my attention, that's for damn sure." Her eyes widened as she found herself looking at an an actual boat. "Holy fuck! You ... didn't steal this, did you? Or, if you did, this isn't gonna trace back to us, is it? Goddamn ... wow!"

Walking carefully forward, Yuna stepped onto the boat and got a better look at the interior as well as the exterior. Her footfalls would echo and soon the young woman stepped out, leaning against a nearby railing, wearing a large grin. "Good. Glad to hear you know of a place. Let's get going then, shall we?"
Divine had at least kept his word ... which was appreciated. Though it was brief, everyone was allowed to have their manacles removed so they could properly eat. The stipulation was merely an obvious one; everyone was very heavily monitored. Particularly Aki. Once the meal ended, they were re-chained.

Heard anything from her? Eikichi internally asked Hajime. When he saw his ototo weakly move his head in a no direction, he smiled. It's alright, he added. Probably just reassurance on her behalf. I mean, hell, Divine already admitted he knows they're coming. Get some sleep, okay? By the time we wake up, they'll likely be here ... or really close to arriving.

Eikichi frowned as he watched Hajime try to get on his cot ... but failed. Had the shocks been that bad? .... Who was he kidding. Of course they likely were. Either way, seeing his comrade so weak and beat up that he had to sleep on the floor only fueled his determination and faith. No fucking way there were staying here. He and Yamichi .... they especially needed to get the fuck away from this place. A real bed and several days of uninterrupted rest; that was what they required.

We're waiting for you ... Yuna, Hotsuma ...

Looking over one last time to make sure Hajime was otherwise okay save for a bit weakened, his own eyes closed as he tried to heed his own advice.
Meanwhile, outside the building was a lone figure. While she was no stranger to the Tops, she also tended to keep to herself. Her job was one of the few things she fully devoted herself. And right now, her obligation to said duty was calling.

Rumors got around ... often mingling in with the wind. Many of the recent 'disappearances' of the numerous residences had not gone unnoticed. One of them, apparently, had ended up at this building. Arcadia ... she'd heard of it, but only very vaguely. What the purpose of it actually was? Well, that was why she was going to do something incredibly bold. It was called sneaking in.

Forget bold! she scolded herself, This is illegal! Trespassing! You could ....

A lot of what-if scenarios rushed through her head, each worse than the one before. Her head quickly shook from side to side as she dismissed the thoughts rather than fretting on them. "You're already here," she muttered, "And ... really. It is creepy that people have been up and vanishing. Answers ... they are needed. The people deserve to know the truth."

Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, Carly nodded firmly, finally opting to use the smarter, even if more cliche, method of entering; the back door. To say she was taken aback that actually worked was an understatement ... but that was more than fine. She'd taken the first successful step in obtaining the answers to her mystery. All Carly needed to do was follow the old proverb and keep moving forward.
 

Well...For now at least, it seemed Yuna and him were on speaking terms, at the very least. Maybe he hadn't fully believed her when she said that some had a change of heart; in his experience, he always assumed the worst with Sector...And every single time he was right in his dealings with them. Especially after learning one of his own had been an agent of theirs all along.

"Well...Technically it wasn't anchored down...So I figured it was free game." was Hotsuma's reply, doing some last minute checks and locking in Yuna's Runner before starting the engine and taking off. Thankfully the waters were still; the sound in this part of the coast usually was so it made traversing it even easier. And after a short and quiet trip, they would find themselves up against another pier. Heavily dilapidated, sure, but still structurally sound...And free of any obvious signs of Sector influence; and after working the sole Runner they'd taken off the boat, they would be on their way to Arcadia. The second place they never thought they would be revisiting.

It was quiet too as they made their way over to the bastard's building; where was Sector? Usually around this time there were street patrols everywhere. It wasn't a long ride over there, thankfully, but he was at least expecting to run into one or more units. "Heh...Guess Goodwin's throwing a bitch fit, probably trying to muster a force to take back the Facility. Boy, won't he be in a for a treat." Hotsuma grinned, continuing on their way.

And soon enough, they would arrive just in front of the Arcadia building...In all its pristine splendor. "Can't believe this son-of-a-bitch...Well, let's do this, Yuna...Let's make him see why it was a big fucking mistake to lay his hands on our guys." he growled, his fists clenching as he felt a surge of anger run through him; though in truth, this was good...And he was just hoping Divine was here still, because he was about to put a foot up his ass.

"KNOCK KNOCK, BITCHES! OPEN UP!"

And it was here that he went and kicked the doors open, much to his surprise; he wasn't expecting them to be unlocked. More to make a racket and force him to respond. Even more so when he saw Divine standing right there at the other end of the lobby...With all of their comrades standing next to him, minus one. "Well now...You two got here quicker than expected." the man said, Hotsuma shouting "Shut the hell up! Tell me why I shouldn't smear you on the floor, you scumbag!" Divine just smiled and shrugged, "Such hostility...But then, I guess that's come to be expected from you, Hotsuma...Yuna seems to know better now, don't you Miss Takeda?" Hotsuma's eyes reddened just a bit, "Easy...They're all fine, but needless to say...I did take some precautions, especially from your wrath, Hotsuma." And at this he would stand aside to reveal a very blank-eyed Yamichi...Leaving the Disiciple's boss in utter shock, his body shaking as he would then roar, "You...YOU MOTHERFUCKER! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" Divine here then just raised a hand, "If you both would calm down, I can explain...Just hear me out, and then they are all yours and we can go our separate ways. No harm done?"




Yusei snuck around the warehouse, trying to find his Runner and Duel Disk; it had to be in here somewhere, right? This was where they kept all the things that got confiscated when someone was imprisoned...But so far he was having no luck. Did they have a second facility where they stored those things? No, from what he'd heard this was it, though the fact that he wasn't finding it made it more frustrating.

They didn't destroy it, did they? Wouldn't surprise him if they took Runners that didn't look like they could be repurposed and had them salvaged. And right as he was about to give up hope, he saw a familiar hint of red. His heart picked up a bit as he started to make his way over...And before long, he saw it. "Finally...Now, let's see about..." he started to say, but stopped as all of a sudden he heard "Freeze!"

Yusei looked up and found himself staring at several officers, including one that was very famliar. "Ushio..." the young man stated, Tetsu replying "Ah-a! I knew I'd catch you! I don't know you got in here, punk, or that you would be so audacious as to break into a Sector storage facility, but you're not getting out! We've got all the exits and doors sealed! So just surrender peacefully!"

Yusei, predicatbly perhaps, felt that he couldn't; too much was at stake for him to get sent back to the Facility or wherever they might hold him now. So, hopping inside the crate, he started up his Runner and smashed right through it. "Damn it! You two, call ahead and monitor us! I'm going to go after him!" Ushio declared, hopping back on his own Runner and storming off after Yusei.

And soon enough, Yusei would see a display on his Runner's Screen: "Fleeing Fugitive. Duel Protocols Cloned. Turbo Duel Engaged." Well...That was great, evidenced as such when the superior officer rode alongside him. "I'm going to get some payback for when you locked me in that trash chute, Fudo! So you can either try to run, or face me with dignity!" Yusei's eyes narrowed, steering his Runner as he tried to find a way out of this.

Just then, he would hear Saiga's voice over the disk mounted to his Runner, "Keep going, Yusei! Straight ahead, I'll make an exit for you!" Yusei seemed a bit taken aback, but just nodded and said to Tetsu, "Fine, I accept your challenge! Let's Duel!"
 

Yuna chuckled as Hotsuma mentioned Goodwin. "Funny you brought him up. Aside from Takeshi, he as the other person I called. Told him thanks for the generous gift that's now our new base. Poor guy didn't look very content. Almost looked more like he forgot he handed it over." Then again, that was why it was all sarcasm. She didn't expect anything less than sheer rage from the Director .. all perfectly justified. Yet even with her knowing how he truly felt, it was not enough for Yuna to care and leave their new base.

As the boat landed, Yuna could hardly wait for the water craft to be secured. That was exactly why she jumped onto the pier and helped Hotsuma tie it so it wouldn't immediately get stolen or boarded by any unwanted people. Her hand started to reach back for one of the many pistols ... but stopped. There was only one thing really keeping her from using a firearm, at least right away. She needed to see exactly how everyone was. If they were in a delicate situation ... then she didn't want to risk shooting one of her own, nor Yamichi.

So instead ... she willed herself to change. By the time Hotsuma was standing beside her, she was Yuse, not just Yuna. "Indeed, let's go."

Yuse all but darted in, only keeping herself at a normal pace to ensure her lover could catch up.

... This feels too easy ..... what's the catch?

In Hajime's case, he was being more supported. Held, even, in Eikichi's arms. That alone made Yuna shake, looking slowly up to her third. "Eikichi? We didn't .... don't you dare tell me we took too long. Did we?"

Eikichi quickly moved his head from side to side, "No, no. He's really weak though ... " His eyes narrowed as he peeked at Divine out of the corner of his eyes, "No thanks to him."

A shaky sigh of relief passed Yuse's lips. Grim as the sight was, that definitely did help her out. "Yuse," she corrected Divine. "You're dealing with Yuse, which leads to two major problems for you. Yuna is not the main woman in charge. Two - even if she were - you already fucked up. So does she know better? Usually, yes. Right now? Neither of us give half a shit about how hostile we have to be."

His focus had been so heavy on his ototo ... that it wasn't until he heard the mingled voices. Taking a moment, Eikichi lifted his head .... and felt his mouth open, eyes simultaneously widening at the new sight of his boss. " .... Yu --- Yuse? That's what you said?"

"Yeah. Long story; you'll get an explanation when we're out."

When Divine revealed Yamichi, Yuse scoffed. "Hmph. Still cowardly as ever, I see. What he did? Simple love; almost the exact same thing you showed me. The main difference is he didn't extend it to where Yamichi is without a soul ... though one could argue that sorta state may as well seal it away."

Hopefully now he could better understand her own reaction earlier. Granted, this wasn't how she wanted to prove her point. Far from it. But ... since Divine had been so stupid, well, she'd take this opportunity.

" ... You fucking serious? You really expect us to just listen to you?! Why?! So you can try to justify yourself?!" Yuse's head moved from side to side. "There is nothing I wanna hear from you! Not as far as explanations go, anyway. Some screams perhaps ... but words? Go fuck off."

Her fingers tapped as she quickly thought.

"Twenty seconds," Yuse finally stated. "You've got that long to start convincing me. And if it sounds like you're merely spouting complete, utter bullshit .... then trust me when I say even with the pathetic human shield tactic you're trying to use, I'll still find a way over. Without putting Yamichi at risk. Also, it may be even less than twenty seconds .... I've probably gotten faster since I left this shit hole. Make your words count."
This was .... odd. If Carly didn't know better, this place was abandoned. But that couldn't be the case, could it? No. This place would be locked, more likely than not, if that truly were the situation. Sure enough, some angry screams from down the hall helped her confirm there were others.

That could be one way ... no. That's a stupid idea.

Sure, following the voices could lead to an explanation, and a hell of a story. But she was already taking a lot of risks. She needed to be as careful as possible.

Thankfully, a brief walk later, she found the elevators. The usual tell-tale ding! was silenced; whatever was already going on, it was much louder than the elevator being called. Something Carly was actually grateful for.

"Hmm ... " she mused, looking among all the buttons. Common sense suggested the highest floor would be the best place to start. So, that was the one she pushed down on. Seconds after the doors shut, the car ascended, working towards the highest floor of Arcadia.
 

Hotsuma's eyes narrowed as she just had to use this opportunity to rub her righteousness in his face, shooting her a poisonous glare for a few seconds before going back to Divine; that was uncalled for as far as he was concerned. Sector deserved it, Yamichi didn't.

Whatever, now wasn't the time for squabbling; they were here to beat in Divine's face...And anyone else who got in there.

"Oi, where's your precious little bitch, Aki? I still gotta pay her back too, for doing to me what she apparently did to Hajime." Hotsuma demanded, Divine answering, "All in due time...Since Yun...sorry 'Yuse'...has given me such a short window, I'll keep this simple: If I die, if anything even remotely happens to me..So does Yamichi. She takes even one step and you lose your number two." At this Hotsuma eyes flashed, dangerously close to himself transforming. "You're full of it; you might be Psychic, but there's no way you can make that happen!"

At this Divine just smiled, "Oh...Isn't there? With me being this close, and him having no potential whatsoever to become a Psychic, I'm afraid it was almost too easy to set this up." At this, Divine's gaze shifted over to Yuna, "Nice to see you finally expressing your true nature...Yuna. A warrior of revenge indeed...Tell me though, how far will you go to get it? Would you sacrifice the life of someone your lover holds dear? Oh, what am I saying, of course you would. After all...Revenge is unbiased at its core. It is like flame...It will eat, and eat, and eat...Until there's absolutely nothing left."

Giving Yuna a slight grin, he then added, "You might be able to move faster than the eye can see...But can you move faster than thought? Yamichi...Kindly turn around and show them what I mean." The blonde tech obeyed, showing them a very large bomb attached to Yamichi's back. "You son-of-a..." Hotsuma growled, Divine laughing "Hopefully now you understand? It was a card I borrowed from our deceased friend, Jun. Seeing as he's not able to play anymore...Seems fitting I should use it to help give me a more level playing field." Placing his arms behind his back once more, Divine then said, "Here's the deal: One thought from me, or if my life ends before I leave this building...Your compatriots all go 'BOOM'. So it should be rather simple, really...All I need to do is just go up to my office, collect a few last things, and then I'm out of here. And when I do, the Sphere Bomb I've placed on your genius will go away...

Spreading his arms wide, he then said right at Yuna, "That is, unless Yuna truly has turned into Rose...Then by all means. I'm yours...Yuse."



Yusei and Tetsu continued their duel, the fight ferocious as the Satellite duelist tried to weave his way out. Dodging crates and Ushio's relentless attacks. "Yusei, keep going straight for the elevator! Trust me!" Saiga shouted, Tetsu shouting back "You can collaborate all you like...But that exit's blocked, scum! You're trapped!"

Yusei looked ahead, seeing that it was very much the case...But, he believed in Saiga. He'd helped him this far, there was no reason he wouldn't now. Even so, he was getting worried; those doors were getting closer and closer pretty quickly...At this rate...

He would make it, as moments before he would impact them, Yusei and Tetsu blew through a powerful explosion that blasted the doors off the elevator shaft apart, making their Runners fall down before landing and speeding out into a car park building and quickly spilling out onto the streets. "Damn it...You're not getting away, Fudo! My turn! I summon a second Gate Blocker, then activate the Permanent Trap, Defender's Mind! With this, all my Defense Position monsters have their DEF doubled! And don't forget its effect! While it's face up on the field, you can't select it as an attack target! I can't attack while this is in play, but you can't attack me either!" The displays would show the massive walls, both of which were blocking Yusei's vision, rise to 4000 DEF.

Yusei just declared, "My turn, draw!" Tetsu was right; especially with his hand now, he couldn't get past two monsters. Damn it...What should he do? There has to be a way out of this, he thought. Even more so as Tetsu started trying to ram Yusei, almost making him crash several times. "Just give up, brat! You trespassed, so just fall! DOwn! And accept! Your punishment!" However, the sound of another engine roaring up took his mind off the turn, seeing Saiga roll up quickly. "Hey, hey, the hell are you doing?!" Ushio bellowed, Saiga grinning "Returning the favor!" before bumping the Sector pursuer hard with his own Runner; Tetsu yelled as he was forced to take a side street to avoid crashing.

"Saiga...Thank you..." Yusei breathed, Saiga just shaking his head, "Don't thank me yet; they shouldn't have found you so quick, I thought the jammer would give you more time. They must have changed the formulation or something." Yusei just smiled, "You still helped...But...I thought you said the rest was up to luck?" Saiga let a smirk cross his face, "Don't get the wrong idea, Yusei; I'm doing this as a favor to Jin. So knuckle down and get your head back in the fight, because this isn't over yet!"
 

Yuse's own eyes flashed. "YUSE!" she angrily chided. "Hmph. Ignorant as ever, still. You don't know me at all, clearly. Am I pissed enough to rush over? Of course. No doubts about it. However, I'm not stupid enough ... otherwise, I would have already run forth. Also ... I've yet to embody the full 'revenge' part of my name. It isn't just my lack of actions that prove that much either. So ... sorry to disappoint, but no. I'm not going to charge forward and cut you in half. I'd love to, sure, but I'm not gonna. Not when you're resorting to such a tactic."

...What do you mean about being yet to fully embrace your revenge side? Yuna internally asked.

... You have your own story to tell your men. This one can wait until we leave.

... I'm holding you to that.

Of course, Mistress. I wouldn't expect anything less.

Her eyes rolled as Divine dared her to come over and get him. "Clean your ears out, prick. I already said I'd love to. Still not dumb enough to. So hurry up and grab your shit. Run like the coward you truly are. I care not. We are leaving with everyone, and that's that. If she were truly Rose .... then that's exactly whom I'd address myself as. NOW GO! I don't wanna see your face ever again after this, especially not near our comrades. There's only one way I'm stupidly taking a step forward, and that's if you try to make me cheat by possessing me. But then ... I'd be justified in breaking my word, since you would yours. So lest you've changed that drastically, it's not your style. NOW MOVE YOUR ASS TO YOUR FUCKING OFFICE!"

Y-Yuna ... ??

A low groan helped hint whom it had come from; Hajime. His head slowly turned as he weakly smiled over at his leader.

" ... For you, yes, I'll accept that name. Spare me the details on why you're in such a shitty state for now. I care ... but it'll help me keep my word."

Your ... word? Luckily, Hajme had seemed to wake up from simply hearing her voice. The blue-haired male was in such bad shape he didn't even realize the changed form, nor bothered to question her reply like he usually would. Instead, he slowly nodded, resting his head against Eikichi's chest.
The next few minutes were some of the slowest of her life. Finally, though, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. As if this were a suite to a major business building, there was one plaque that had arrows pointing left or right, with each hinting what was in each room. The words "Divine's Office" immediately grabbed her attention. Following the arrow, she soon found the room in question.

... Wow! This must really be my lucky day!

Because, amazingly, the door was unlocked; something Carly definitely hadn't expected. So ... Divine was a person? Odd name. Well ...hopefully they were out, or at least far enough away that she could investigate properly.

In case they weren't ... that was why she wasted little time in getting to work. Running forward, she began opening the file cabinet in the room, skimming each file and moving onto the next until something jumped out at her eyes.
 

Divine just shook his head, "Dear me...You two are so violent. Perhaps it's better you left; can't have my Disciples trying to emulate such brutes." And it was here that Hotsuma's right arm started to blacken, the spot under his forearm spreading. "I'm fucking warning you, Divine...Get. Moving. And don't forget your bitch." Hotsuma growled, the Arcadia leader laughing, "Oh, her? Right...You had asked where she was. Apologies...She tried to betray me, therefore...She's of no use to me. You can thank your partner for somehow placing such lies in her head. She's sitting in a cell...And I think for now, I'll leave her there. Well...I suppose that's it then, isn't it? Ta-ta, you two!" And as the doors were about to close, Divine gave one last remark, "Just remember, Hotsuma...You have far more to lose than she does."

The Disciples' leader's rage boiled over at this comment, and just as the doors closed to protect Divine, the tendrils that he had used to corrupt the Sector officers had impaled themselves (but didn't penetrate) after Hotsuma threw his fist forward as if to punch the air. "Smarmy fuck...He better pray he doesn't see us again." he grumbled, retracting the black mass before running over to see to his number two. "Yamichi...Yamichi, come on, man...It's me, Hotsuma! We're getting you out of here, bud...Come on, you're stronger than this! Snap out of it!" he tried to get to him, even shaking the young man's shoulders...But all he got was that blank stare. "Divine-sama...This man is hurting me...Make him stop." Yamichi whispered flatly.

Hotsuma could only fight back the tears to cry, his jaw clenching; on this he swore if Divine didn't keep his word, he was bringing this entire building down. Even if he might die from all that rubble collapsing...It would bring him such satisfaction just to destroy this monument to that monstrous fucking ego of his. "Yamichi...Come on...Snap out of it! If you can hear me...Just blink, say something dorky...Tell me a riddle I'll never get, anything!" he yelled, getting more and more frantic.


As this continued, Divine let out a sigh of relief; well...That was certainly messy but at the very least he had bought himself a window. And reaching into his coat pocket, he would pull out his own Teleport card; yep, once he retrieved his files, he could start this over. A shame to lose such valuable assets...But something was better than nothing as the old saying went.

However...He would detect an unknown presence in his office as the car reached the top floor. Just what he needed...A snooper. Well, he didn't have time to play games...And besides, he knew he was safe from Sector and most of all, from Goodwin.

"Ahem..." Divine would cough, catching the young woman rummaging through his files. "Excuse me but I don't believe you have permission to be here." he then added; and moments after she would find herself thrown against the window, the glass fracturing into a spiderweb from the pressure.


Shadows....They overtook him. Consumed him, promised him rebirth, power...All to put that traitor through the same living hell he had to endure.

Was it all a lie?

And then he would awaken with a start, coughing as if he was still drowning...Only to find he was on dry land. In a graveyard no less. "Di-did it work..." the young man asked himself, hearing a voice reply, "Good...Good! You're awake, Kiryu Kyosuke; I thought your soul would have been irretrievable." Kiryu paused, feeling a burning sensation on his arm; he then noticed that he was dressed in heavier robes...And that his clothes too were dry. "Ho-how..." he then asked, the voice within chuckling "Look down on your right arm...You will find your answers there."

Pulling up the sleeve a little ways, Kiryu would find a strange mark glowing brightly. "You have been chosen by me to wield my power. In exchange for getting your revenge, you will serve as our agent to carry out our will...A fair trade, wouldn't you agree?" the voice asked, Kiryu just laughing, "Haha, really? That's it? There has to be more to it than that!" The voice continued, "True...The one you seek vengeance one, the one called 'Yusei'...He is an enemy of myself and the other Immortals. A Signer, an agent of the Great Dragon that sealed us away. All I ask is that you destroy him, and my power is yours to command." Kiryu just laughed even harder, "Wow...Wow, wow, wow. I really have to thank Sosuke later...After I grind Yusei to dust of course."

The Immortal chuckled, "Ah yes...The Fiend of the Satellite; your memories told me much of him. In truth, I had waited for him to perish. His mastery of the darkness is formidable. But once I saw you were much closer, and how deep your anger ran...Well, us demons are shameless opportunists. I know you will use my power to its fullest. Now, we must find the others and coordinate; we lost last time because we were divided. Singular. We have learned, and now with new hosts, we can strike down the Great Dragon and reclaim what is ours."

Kiryu just chuckled, "So I was plan B, huh? Well, whatever...Trust me, weird demon, I plan on making the most of this...Wait'll Yusei gets a load of me! His greatest failure, brought back from the dead! Hahahahahaaaaa!" But as he started walking along, he couldn't help finding his eyes looking towards the other tombstones, snickering "Better off than you sorry lot...I get a second chance at life, and all you do is rot in the ground, hehe." But when he passed by one particular grave, he noticed a rather familiar name...And actually stopped to see who it was, kneeling down and using his hand to wipe off some of the dirt and dust.

And when he saw it, a sadistic grin stretched across his face. "Ohoho...Well now, ain't this the plot twist of a lifetime? Hehehehe...Oh me, oh my, I sense some fun to be had!" And if one was with him they would see 'Fayth Milner. Born October 24, 2217. Died December 30, 2232.' on the grave marker. Kiryu honestly found it so hilarious his stomach hurt, "Well now...Was there a zombie in the Facility? How very interesting...Wonder how she'll react when I tell her this, hahaha!" Kiryu laughed as he walked off to 'find the others'. Whoever the hell they were.



Yusei, meanwhile, was still trying to figure things out, especially how the Duel was technically still active when Ushio had go away from the Zone. That should have ended it....right? However, it turned out not to be the case, as the Sector pursuer came right back, his Gate Blockers still in full view as they resumed by in Yusei's way. "I'm not losing to some Satellite scum!" Tetsu bellowed, ramming Yusei again; with the Life Points as they were, Yusei just needed one good hit. Saiga would interfere once more, forcing himself between Tetsu and Yusei. "Might want to hurry it up, man! They're probably going to have a roadblock set up!" Saiga shouted, Yusei continuing with his turn, "I first Special Summon Level Warrior, then I normal Summon Junk Synchron in Attack Mode! Then I activate its effect and Special Summon the level 2 monster, Speed Warrior! Level Stealer's effect! I reduce Level Warrior to Level Three and Special Summon Stealer! And lastly, I activate Angel Lift and Special Summon Sonic Chick from my Graveyard!"

Throwing a hand forward, Yusei would decleare "I tune Junk Synchron with Level Warrior, Sonic Chick and Level Stealer! Gathering fighting souls will awaken the raging wicked god! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Obliterate, Junk Destroyer!" And in a flash of light, the giant scrap monster appeared; with Tetsu's Life at 2500, this would end it. "Junk Destroyer's effect! For every non-tuner monster I used to Summon it, I can destroy a card you control! Mind Defender and your two Gate Blockers leave the field! Tidal Energy!" The blue orbs on its chest would glow, before long blasts of energy erupting; from the red orb at its center and shattering the last of Tetsu's defenses.

"Go Junk Destroyer! Direct Attack! Destroy Knuckle!"

And with that one last move, Tetsu would cry out as Junk Destroyer brought his life down to zero...His Runner starting to lose control. "Yusei! It's all on you now man! Be safe!" Saiga shouted, Yusei just flashing him a thumbs up and a smile.

However...It soon would come to an end, as Yusei saw a massive battalion of troops waiting for him. He tried to ride past them, but not before one hit him with a taser square in the back, making the young man yell in pain as another hit him, the combined shocks almost making him lose control...But they wouldn't even get a chance to pursue, one officer shouting as Tetsu's Runner barreled towards them, forcing them to scatter.

And all the while, Yusei managed to keep riding...Getting what he was sure was far enough away before he crashed, totaling his Runner and skipping along the ground, hitting his head once before landing hard into a pile of garbage. His vision swam, his head feeling fuzzy before he would finally pass out.
 

"... Did she now?" Yuse asked, clearly amused. "Heh! About time she listened to me!"

Wait ... so ... when he said HEYA, that's why it was technically? Because A stood for Aki ... but she's not one of us?

... Probably. More likely than not. It was the only thing that made sense. And assuming Divine was being his honest - although smug - self, then it was the only logical answer. "Well, if she's already turned her back against you, then you're slowly getting what's coming to you. You fucked with the wrong people ... "

Finally Divine left .. causing her to sigh in relief. Figuring it was safe to turn back to normal, her form went back to Yuna being simply Yuna. She tensed her leg muscle .... but stopped. He had probably hinted the threat of her moving forward would make him detonate the bomb while he was just downstairs. Even still, she didn't want to take that chance. Instead, she made a 'come here' motion to Eikichi. "I may not be a doctor, but lemme see if I can ... I dunno ... I guess, sense what's up with him? Unless they told you everything?"

"Not everything, no," Eikichi replied, taking one slow step forward. When nothing happened, he rushed beside Yuna, gently laying his brother down.

"Okay. Let's ... let's start with what you do know."

" ... Promise me you won't rush off."

Yuna narrowed her eyes. "Oh don't worry; I'm nowhere near done dealing wih you and your stupidity. That means I have to remain nearby. To answer you, though, you have my word."

The purple-haired male sighed, nodding his head. He knew this wasn't gonna be pretty ... but hiding everything from Yuna would be even dumber. "Well ... he was shocked ... a few times in front of me. The only other thing I know is the worst status of Hajime. He .... Aki .... " His teeth bit onto his lower lip. "I mean it ... I'm holding you to your word."

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?!"

"Aki .... she made him mute."

" ... What?" Yuna asked, gently tilting Hajme's head up. There was indeed a scar. Faint now ... but still able to be seen. "Is ... Is that what this fucking thing is?!"

"I ... guess? I'm assuming!" He quickly added, seeing Yuna narrow her eyes. "I wasn't at the tournament he went to. Yamichi, Takeshi, and Judai were. Yamichi was directly against Aki, from what I understand so .... he'd technically be your best bet in getting answers."

Fucking lovely, Yuna cursed, shaking as she looked up .... and saw Hotsuma struggling to make Yamichi return to normal. "Oi? Yamichi? Is Eikichi right? How'd Aki do this to Hajime? Please tell me .... come back to us .... "

Now Yuna was fighting her own tears. Goddamn ... it'd been a long ass time since she cried this many times in one day. When he was done running ... she would properly get back at Divine. No questions asked, no doubts about it. "I ... just thought he was simply awakened. Eikichi .... is he? He has to be, huh? That's .... how he did telepathy, huh?"

"Another thing I can only assume."

"I'm so sorry, Hajime," Yuna whispered, holding Hajime close against her. It was one of the few things she could do to keep from darting off and hunting Divine; find something else to hold onto.
Carly had indeed found the jackpot. They came in the form of two massive folders, each labeled with a name on each tab.

OBORO, HOTSUMA
TAKEDA, YUNA​

Carly had opened both and opted to read both at the same time. The results made her eyes widen. "H-Human ... experimentation?! Wh-What is this place?! That's horrible!" Her face paled as a throat clearing made her attention shift from the folders to the source of the noise.

"Oh ... ummm .... I was just leaving. Ahhhh!"

What the hell had that been? He wasn't in immediate reach of her .... yet with how easily she was thrust against the window, it could have easily fooled her. Or anyone else that was around, for that matter. "You ... " She gulped, trying to avoid freaking completely out. Sure, it'd be justified ... but that wouldn't get Carly anywhere either. "Are those files true? You've really ... experimented on those Yuna and Hotsuma figures? Why? Why resort to something like human experimentation?"

... No sense in playing dumb. So ... while she was here and trapped with what was likely the leader of this place, may as well get some confirmations, at the very least.

"Let's ... slow down. Just ... talk everything out. I'm sure we can come to some sort of an agreement about all of this."
Change happened. It was, according to her parents and teachers, a very natural thing. Still, even for Luca ... what she'd seen and heard of over the past few days was downright terrifying. The Facility had been overthrown, resulting in all of the inmates escaping. And if that wasn't scary enough, all it took - or so the reports went - were just two people to make the Facility crumble. The thought made her shudder as she grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.

She didn't want to hear anymore about the troubles. Sure, she couldn't avoid that sort of thing forever. Still, Luca just ---

CRASH!

Luca jumped at the abrupt noise, glancing around from side to side. It'd come from outside ... at least, she was certain about that much. "L-Lua? Did ... did you hear that just now? Should we ... check it out?"

It could have simply been a cat bumping into a trash can, bu ... it sounded a bit too big. Which was exactly why she wanted to go examine the noise; in case it was dangerous and required Sector's attention. The crash had been really close to their house, after all. It'd be bad if someone broke in and tried to rob the place.
 

Yamichi still just stared blankly, Hotsuma trying to shake his buddy free of the mind control; god damn it, why?! Why did Yamichi have to suffer this bullshit? He didn't do anything to this fuck!

"Divine, you better swear that I never find you...They'll barely have enough to left to fit in a matchbox after I'm done." Hotsuma growled mentally, starting to lose hope as Yamichi held that blank stare...But then, the bomb creature on his back started to grow more translucent, before long disappearing into the aether. Something that didn't escape the Disciples' boss's attention. "Yamichi...Yamichi! Wake up, man! It's gone, you don't have to pretend anymore! He's got no hold over you!" Hotsuma exclaimed, thinking his hold over the tech broken now...

Only to be met with further defeat as Yamichi just said "Divine-sama...This man is hurting me...Make him stop."

Hotsuma's eyes widened; no...No, damn it! "You motherfuck....Nrgh...Divine, I am going to kill you!" he shouted, gripping the front of Yamichi's jacket in a manner of both anger and sadness. There was one person who could help...But would she, especially given how she fucked up. And if it meant getting Yamichi back...Well, it wouldn't make him hate her any less, just less likely to want her dead.

"I should have known that fucker would lie...God damn it! Yuna, I'm going to go find Aki...You can either come with me, or take your guys back to the boat. Either way, I'm going to go see if she's truly against Divine. Asshole did this on purpose I know he did." And whether she did or not, he was in the elevator, recalling where the 'holding cells' were with some assistance from his Emperor contract...

And once there, it wasn't much harder to actually find her cell. "Well...Much as I enjoy seeing you locked up for a change, your Master left without unfucking Yamichi's brain. How very fucking kind of him; you two are really alike, you know that?" Hotsuma snarled, still very much pissed that he had to go to her of all people to even ask this. Trying to calm himself down, he then said "Yuna seems to be happy, or as close to happy as she can get with Eikichi's little revelation to what you did, that you listened to her. So now it's my turn...Can you undo the mindfucking your asshole leader did to my friend?"


Divine sighed, "You call it human experimentation, I call it bringing out the best in someone, Ms. Nagisa." The man just smirked, knowing more than likely she would be freaked out that he knew her name without them ever having met. "Oh yes, I know you...A bumbling reporter on the verge of being fired for failure to get your story. Always outshined by your betters, especially that woman Angela who didn't let you even near the King after the Selection Tournament; let me guess, you thought you'd break in here? Expose me to finally get your big break so you could rub it in her face?"

And with her still pressed against the window, he took this time to gather the files of his experiments into a neat case, as well as secure the laptop on his desk. "As much as I would love to currently talk with you, Carly...I'm afraid I'm a bit pressed for time. And you are far too nosy for your own good." A hand then thrust outward, pressing her harder against the glass as he finished gathering everything that was essential.

"But I will tell you this one for free: Your precious Director isn't the golden boy he claims to be. The least of his secrets is the most ironic: He's from the Satellite, and yet he works so hard to oppress them. Why would he do such a thing? Well...Don't worry, because you won't be around long enough to investigate it. Farewell, Carly Nagisa."

And with one last push, the glass would shatter behind the young woman, forcing her into a freefall. "Youth is wasted on the young" Divine commented, pulling out the Teleport card...And in a flash of bright light, he was gone. Leaving the Arcadia building well and truly empty.


Lua barely would have had any time to ask her brother a question of whether they should check it out; much like his usual spaz self, he was already prepared...Albeit with a baseball bat. "Hai-yah! Ain't no thieves getting in here! Come on, Lua! Don't worry, I'll protect you!" he shouted, swinging it around and barely missing some of the few knick-knacks their apartment had.

However, when the twins did arrive at the scene, they found someone in the scene of a very bad wreck: A once-pristine Runner crashed and certainly mangled, and a young man unconscious in the garbage collection area. Thankfully he seemed to be largely unharmed...But that left the question of what to do with him. "Well...At the very least we don't have to worry about him robbing us, Lua" Luca remarked, poking the man's cheek with the end of the weapon he'd brought along.

"Sis...Think we should call an ambulance or something? This guy looks like he wrecked pretty hard; could have a concussion." he then said; it wasn't that he didn't want to help the guy, but he was no medic.
 
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